Propose to Me
by Twigs-N-Leaves
Summary: SasuSaku- Sasuke is accomplished at everything, or so his daughters think. But Sakura knows better. She knows of one thing in which Sasuke did not succeed in for an extremely long time; Proposing. This is the story of how Sasuke got Sakura to marry him.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here is the prologue to my new fic. Some details are on my profile. Hope you like it! I'm really happy to be starting another chaptered fic. Let me know what you think of it! I'm not so sure when the first actual chapter will be finished. Hopefully tomorrow night...maybe in a few days ^_^ Who knows? Anyways! To the story!**

_Disclaimer: I own Naruto Not. Sakura and Sasuke and Konoha all belong to Kishimoto. The plot and the kids are mine! _

**Propose To Me**

_(Because I love you)_

*______*______*

Sakura put her hand on her waist and leaned against the wooden doorframe that faced outside. She smiled and stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. The morning was young and the sky was a pale blue and lavender colour. The sun had not yet even appeared above the horizon to bathe Konoha in it's light.

Despite the early hour in which she had awoken, she felt lighthearted. The breeze blew against her face, and the woman closed her eyes.

She laughed very quietly as she looked into the yard. Her young seven year old son Shunsuke was there, sitting cross-legged on the gravel right beside the gate. His face was serious and emotionless, but Sakura was well trained in reading her children's emotions. The young boy appeared to be sitting perfectly still, but the woman could see, even from her vantage point, that he was rocking back and forth slightly.

He was excited. And she was excited for him. It wasn't often that he and his father were able to spend time together, just the two of them. Between the couples' missions, the rest of the family and the hectic day-to-day life they led, the boy was often forced to share his quality time with Sasuke with his three sisters.

It was hard on him, she knew. Her son had been waiting for this day to come for weeks. Sasuke had promised him to take him out for at least a few days. Training and teaching him all about the Uchiha family's ways. Shunsuke hadn't ever appeared so happy before in his life. His idol was his father. No other man compared to Sasuke to him. But still, Sakura would miss her stoic little boy. He was intelligent for his age, as most Uchiha's were and he was quite silent as well.

"Shun!" She called out, the smile on her face was evident in her voice as it carried across the yard.

"What is it?" He said back. His mother raised her eyebrows expectantly and he sighed, getting to his feet. "Kaa-san, I'm waiting." The boy picked himself up off the ground and crossed his arms. Sakura crossed her arms right back and soon he was dragging his feet reluctantly to her side. "I'm waiting for Tou-s-"

"He won't be down for another minute or two. Sitting at the gate won't make him come faster. " She said rolling her eyes. Perhaps he was too excited for this trip, not wanting to leave his post at the front gate for even a minute. Not even for his dear mother.

Once again the young child let out an exasperated and exagerated sigh and looked up at his mother.

"Yes?" He said.

Sakura bent down onto the balls of her feet to face him at eye-level. She put her arms on his shoulders and gave him a motherly smile.

"I love you." She said. Before he could stop her or wriggle away she pulled him close and wrapped her arms tightly around him. The pink haired woman kissed him all over his face and his head, making funny little noises as she went along.

"Kaa-Kaa-san! St-stop it! Stop i-it!" Shunsuke pressed his small hands to her face and tried to push her off him. He was still a little boy however, and Sakura glowed when she heard his adorable and rare little laugh come out. A cute little belly laugh erupted as he tried to pry himself out of her grasp. She laughed too and began to tickle his stomach as well. Soon more giggles had joined the first and they were both laughing, sharing their own little game for a moment or two.

"Now I want you to have lots of fun okay? Don't be too serious." She advised as she grabbed his little hands in hers.

"Che, Kaa-san!" The boy wrenched his hands out of her grasp and looked away sharply. Being a young boy raised by Sasuke, the affection from his mother was clearly embarrassing. She smiled and cupped his face with her soft hands and he turned to face her again.

"I mean it! This is very special Shun. Promise me you'll have some fun with your tou-san." The child muttered a hesitant "I will." before he accepted her last parting smooch and marched back to the gate, his hand rubbing his cheek as he went.

"Hn." The masculine voice behind her signaled her husband's arrival, but she didn't bother to turn around from her place against the doorframe. Sasuke walked leisurely behind her and wrapped his arms casually around her stomach from behind.

"Hmmm." She said contentedly. "Ohayou Sasuke-kun."

He kissed her neck before he removed his hands from her waist and stepped down onto the gravel. His hair was still slightly dishiveled from sleep, but his pack was slung over his shoulder nonetheless. He began to stride towards the boy when his wife reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Don't push him too hard Sasuke-kun. He's a little boy who's been looking forwards to a weekend with you for quite some time. Don't disappoint him by overdoing the training, and forgetting to act like a normal dad okay?"

Sasuke nodded quickly and turned to face her. She leaned forwards and placed her hands on his chest and gave him a peck on the lips.

"I love you."

"Aa."

The sun peeked over the distant horizon finally and Shunsuke stood up and shouldered his small bag.

Sasuke smirked at his wife before turning and joining his young son. He ruffled the boy's hair before motioning towards the gate with his head. Shunsuke tried to hide his radiant smile.

"Have fun you two!" Sakura called from the door.

"_Wait!_"

_**Thump thump thump! **_

Several footsteps echoed from down the hall. Sakura whirled around and grinned mischieviously. Of course. There was no way Sasuke was leaving without-

"Tou-san! Tou-san! Wait!" Two girls, the oldest no bigger than six, burst into the hall and launched themselves out into the yard. Another girl followed behind them slowly, walking proudly and keeping an eye on her sisters.

"Wait!" they cried, though he was already waiting for them. They reached him consecutively and grasped his legs tightly. A small chorus of "I love you" and "I'll miss you so much" erupted around his knees while he tried to make sure he didn't fall over due to their tugging and climbing. It was clear that the younger girls took after their mother.

The man picked up the two girls individually and planted a brief peck on each chubby little cheek and rested his hand on the eldest girl's head. Her mature face stared up at him and smirked before giving him a cautious hug. She spun around and returned to her mother's side and sat on the ledge of the deck attached to the house at her feet. Sasuke turned back to the boy. One hand was shoved deep in his pockets, while another was trying to push his youngest sister off of him.

"_Ready _Tou-san_?" _The child asked impatiently when the girl released him and shuffled cutely back to her daddy's legs. With a nod, the boy and his father were able to pry themselves away from the girls, who slowly returned to their mother's side teary eyed.

"When will they be back mama?" Her youngest daguhter Fumiko asked sweetly, her lip quivering_. _

Sakura smiled sympathetically and bent over to kiss her forehead.

"Very soon, sweetheart. You won't even notice those smelly boys were gone. Besides, now it's just us girls! Can you imagine what we can do?" She said as she gripped her under her arms and hoisted the child into her arms and onto her hip. She reached out a hand to the second smallest girl and led them inside as they rubbed their eyes.

The oldest touched her chin and she peered back towards the road after the two male members of her family.

"Shunsuke does have a certain odour to him, doesn't he?"

"Michiko!" Her mother called from inside. "Stop that!" She smirked and followed after the rest of them. The family all settled in the kitchen and Sakura placed her hands on her hips and leaned back against the counter.

"Well...Since you three are already up, what do you ladies want to do?" She asked.

Sudden and loud demands for food exploded from her youngest children. She winced and covered one chattering mouth with her hand.

The pink haired woman sighed and huffed her bangs out of her eyes. "Food it is!" She turned and began to prepare them a good breakfast. Her daughters sat and chattered away, keeping themselves occupied. Sakura cracked an egg into her pan when she heard Sayuri, her middle daughter ask;

"Will Otou-san and Shun really be back soon, Kaa-san?"

"Of course they will. They couldn't live without us for very long, could they?" She said and turned around giving her child a warm smile.

"I miss them already though." She said sweetly.

"I know you do sweetheart, but they'll be back before you know it. I'm going to miss them too." Sakura replied keeping her attention on the food.

"You love Otou-san very much, don't you Kaa-san?" She asked.

Sakura turned around and crossed her arms, her eyebrows scrunched together. "Well, you sure are chatty today aren't you?" she asked, amused. "Why all the questions for me?"

Sayuri stared through her big innocent green eyes and shrugged cutely. Sakura bit her lip to contain a motherly squeal. She was so cute.

"Yes I do love him very much. Don't you?" She asked.

"Of course! Kaa-san, you're so silly." Sayuri giggled. "Is that why you married him?"

The pinkette laughed, while the pan on the stove filled the small kitchen with cracks and sizzles.

"Yes, Sayuri. That's why I married him." Then she added dramatically, whirling around and holding the spatula to her forehead. "Not to mention his _devilish_ good looks and his incredible skills is a Shinobi."

Several giggles and shrieks rang from the two youngest girls, while Michiko simply smirked and rolled her eyes at her mother's antics.

"Kaa-san!" Sayuri continued in between laughs, "How did he ask you to marry him?"

Sakura popped one of her closed eyes open and smirked at her daughters.

"Oh he wasn't very good at it." She said as she turned back to the stove top and reached into the cupboard above her head to reach four plates.

"Otou-san is good at everything." Michiko supplied to her sisters, as though she thought her mother was joking.

Sakura scoffed and gave the oldest girl a look. "Not quite." A plate was palced in front of each of the Uchiha girls and Sakura sat down beside them.

"What do you mean?" Michiko asked skeptically.

"Trust me, it's a long story and I'm sure you three wouldn't want to hear it." Sakura shook her head at the three young faces all staring at her.

"Mama!" Fumiko cried "I want to hear! Please!" Her voice shook with anticipation as she pleaded with Sakura.

"It just took him a few tries to get it right, that's all." Sakura brushed it off and began to eat.

"A few tries? It's just a question with a yes or no answer, isn't it? How could it take a few tries?" Michiko's eye narrowed in confusion as she curiously interrogated her mother.

Sakura smiled her michievious smile for the second time that morning. "I didn't say yes right away."

Immediately two gasps sounded from Fumiko and Sayuri. "What?!" They asked simultaneously. It was unthinkable. They knew how in love their parents were. They saw them all the time! And their Tou-san was the best man in the world. How could their mother _refuse_ him?!

"You heard me." Sakura said. "Do you still want to hear the story?" She said cupping her face innocently in her palm and resting it on the table.

"Of course!" Two yells and one quiet "I suppose" followed her question. Sakura laughed and sighed.

"Well, I already told you girls that he wasn't very good at it. It...took him quite a bit of time to figure it out properly. But eventually your father got it right." She smiled. Their faces stared at her from the table and Sakura supressed a laugh.

"And when he did," she said knowingly. "It was perfect."

*______*______*

_To Be Continued_

**A/N: Well there it is, the prologue. The rest of the story will be a bit different :D Hope you liked it and are feeling interested. I understand that it just a Prologue, but reviews are still appreciated to get an understanding of how many people are interested ^^ I'd love to hear from you guys! I'm going to be working on the next chapter when I can (I'll probably get a start on it tonight) So please read and review! I love you guys and I'm excited about this fic. For people who are uncertain: **

**Michiko: The oldest daughter of the Uchiha family. Ten years old.  
Shunsuke: The only boy of the family. Seven years old.  
Sayuri: The middle girl. Very sweet. Six years old.  
Fumiko: The baby of the family. Four years old. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well Well Well. Fancy meeting you here 8} **

**Me? What am I doing here? Oh I'm just here posting the first chapter of my fic, after...over six months of shamelessly avoiding it. XD **

**Hello all. I know you probably all dislike me, or probably don't even remember who I am. I'm ashamed for deserted this fic for so long and embarrassed to only have one chapter finished. But whats a girl to do? _Lie? _**

**Hope you all like it (read: don't hate it enough to throw up). I can't promise a speedy update. Let's face it- I'd be lying. But I am going to at least TRY. I don't really have anything else to say. I took a Benedryl earlier and now I'm falling asleep, so I'm going to post this before I pass out. Hope you like it, and please leave a review! (I'm so scared!)**

**OH! AND I'D LIKE TO SAY A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY GOOD FRIEND LAURA! (TheUn-POP-AbleBubble) FOR READING THIS AND HELPING ME EDIT IT AND IMPROVE IT! Please go and check out her stories! (The Life of The Child is definitely one of my absolute favourite SasuSaku fics. Please show her some love!) I was stressing myself out over this update and I could not have done it without her. **

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Naruto and all of Kishimoto's characters belong to him alone. Besides, if I owned it, Sasuke would not be such an ass- Ahem. Read on! 

_PROPOSE TO ME_

(And try not to be a jerk about it!)

* * *

"Sakura."

"Mmmm."

"Sakura."

"No."

Sunlight gleamed through the white panels of the sliding door, making them glow and Sakura could smell fresh air coming into their room from the small opening of one of them. Birds were singing outside, but other than their little songs, it was silent.

Which meant it was early. Damn.

"Sakura."

"I said noooo." She whined as she buried her head into his chest and smiled at how he was holding her. "I like it right here."

Sasuke sighed and ran one of his free hands through his dishevelled hair. Being with Sakura was something the Uchiha was fairly proud of for the most part as she was an object of envy for many men, but that was only because their perfect illusions of her hadn't been spoiled. They had never had to deal with her in the morning. Putting it nicely, she was not a morning person.

"Up." He calmly stated and raised an eyebrow and challenged her.

"Actually," she grumbled, "I'd rather just stay here, if you don't mind." She nestled back into her warm place on his chest. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I do mind." He said blankly.

She peeked her eyes up at him and smiled. Rising, she gave him a soft kiss and smiled against his lips. "No you don't." Settling back down, she purposefully wrapped her lithe arms around his torso and clung to him. "Now stay." she muttered.

It was too damn early to wake up.

Rolling his eyes again, Sasuke unwrapped his strong arms away from their usual place around her waist and pulled himself out of her grasp. "That's not an option." He said, smirking when he saw her pouting face. He moved to the edge of the bed and stifled a yawn behind his hand. Truth be told, he was much happier in bed with her. But someone had to have a backbone. They both had things to accomplish in the course of the day.

As he began to push off the bed, Sakura bolted upright. "And where do you think you're going?" She demanded as she wrapped her arms around his chest from behind. He closed his eyes and tried to stay strong. She smiled into the crook on his neck before planting light kisses there. One of her hands moved of its own accord to his hair and buried itself there as she whispered into his ear.

"Stay with me." She leaned back and pulled her boyfriend down with her, turning so that her back was facing his front. Sasuke mentally groaned as she settled into his chest and stilled, her breathing slowing. He was tempted. Oh _so_ tempted.

But his will was strong, no matter how tempting she could be. He slowly pulled himself away from her again, which wasn't hard, considering the fact that she had already conked out again. Standing beside the bed, he grabbed the covers and gave them a good yank, pulling them into a mess on the floor.

"You BASTARD!"

He smirked and waited for her to get up from the bed, but she was way too stubborn to give in. Rolling onto her back, she threw an arm over her eyes to block out the offending light and went right back to sleep.

Sasuke, slightly irritated with her childishness leaned over her and carefully wrapped one arm around her back and another under her legs. Slowly he picked up his sleeping girlfriend and lifted her from the bed. She smiled in her sleep and subconsciously snuggled closer to his warmth. He looked down at her pretty face. She looked so calm and peaceful when she slept, her eyelashes falling against her cheek and her pink hair splayed across his one arm. Her sleeping form gave no indication of how temperamental and loud she could be. The irritation he had felt slowly dissolved. He let himself look at her for a moment longer-

And then dropped her onto the mess of blankets on the hard wooden floor.

"Itai!" She screeched as her bottom hit the ground. She landed on the blankets so it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but her tailbone still throbbed. "I'm going to kill you!" She screamed. He shook his head as he left her there on the ground and walked into the bathroom.

Sakura crossed her arms and pouted on the floor. _'Sweeps me off my feet...And then drops me on my ass. ' _She closed her eyes and yelled at him from the floor, with her arms at her sides and her hands clenched. "You really suck at this boyfriend thing, Sasuke!"

Still muttering darkly, Sakura lifted her aching bum off the ground and rubbed it, trying to sooth the dull ache. That friggan hurt! She made her way to her closet and grabbed the first semi formal outfit she found and made her way back to her bed, swearing when she realized that she had grabbed two shirts. Making her way back to the closet, she pulled out a navy blue shirt with a subtle embroidered pattern on it and slightly puffed short sleeves and threw it onto the bed. Then, she carefully made sure she grabbed something to cover her bottom half with. Settling for a high waisted pencil skirt she grumbled back to the bed and sat down with her arms crossed, waiting for her boyfriend to be done in the shower.

Suddenly, an unattractive noise exploded from her stomach. "Oh Kami..." She had forgotten about the whole eating thing. She knocked on the door to the bathroom and asked Sasuke if he wanted something to eat. Not getting an answer, she rolled her eyes and padded into the kitchen. The pink haired woman grabbed some bread and shoved it haphazardly into the toaster, while cracking two eggs into a pan. She made a cup of tea to wake herself up and sliced up a tomato for Sasuke. She scarfed her breakfast down and left his plate on the table before making her way into her bedroom.

"OI! Pretty boy! You've had your turn in the shower-!" She yelled as she pounded on the door on the bathroom when Sasuke opened the door wearing nothing but a towel around his neck. He was naked. His hair was still damp and the muscles on his arms were still wet with water... And he was naked.

Sakura froze mid speech and blushed profusely. Looking away quickly and avoiding his eyes, she forced herself to breathe. She could no longer tell if her nose was bleeding or not.

"Shit. N-naked. Sorry Sasuke. Your um... your..thing is..." His abs made her forget things and the fact that he was naked threw her off even more. He was tampering with her hormones and they both knew it.

"Is what, Sa...ku...ra?" he teased, leaning in towards her.

Realizing what it sounded like she was going to say, she yelped and slapped a hand over her eyes. "BREAKFAST. Table. In the k-kitchen."

'Mind out of the gutter Haruno!' Her inner cried, momentarily snapping her out of her daydreams involving the Uchiha. ' Fantasizing is my job!'

_'You're a PART of my mind! How am I supposed to control it! He's so-'_

'Absolutely pounce-able? Obviously! At least try to act as though you aren't phased!'

He was her boyfriend and when he was displayed so openly to her, concentration became an issue.

The Uchiha smirked and stepped aside for his girlfriend to have her turn to wash up. She was too amusing. Sakura brushed past him and inhaled sharply when her arm touched his.

"Erm. Y-you should go eat before it g-gets cold." She mumbled distractedly as she subconsciously began to lean towards him.

"Aa." He said, raising his eyebrows smugly. He pecked her lips and then walked into their room, leaving her there flustered. Sakura stole one last devilish glance at her boyfriend before closing the door and leaning her back against it, regaining her breath. It really wasn't fair for him to take advantage of her mind's already weak morning state. She was already dense enough at six am, without him making her a sex-crazed lunatic as well!

Once he was out of view, however, the mysterious spell was broken.

"AND PUT SOME PANTS ON!"

* * *

"Forehead! Forehead! Will you just- Will you just _wait up_!"

Sakura blinked and stopped walking, looking away from the clipboard in her hands. She had been going over some of her charts again before work. The Konoha streets were busy and everybody was already outside. The vendors were yelling into the streets, trying to make their voice louder than the other salespeople in the roads. Friendly competition. Sakura grinned as two children ran past her, the smaller one shouting out to the older one.

It was a beautiful morning, despite the bad beginning. Even an Uchiha's jerkiness and hormonal voodoo couldn't wreck it.

The woman craned her neck and scanned the hoards of people milling about from vendor to vendor for a head of bright blonde hair. It was times like these that she cursed herself for being short. Standing on her tippy-toes, her eyes caught sight of a strange wave coming through the villagers. As though something had gotten fed up and was plowing through the crowds.

Suddenly before her eyes, Ino emerged, fuming. Turns out something _had_ gotten fed up.

"How on earth can you stand this? _Why _do you come this way to work, when you could just take the next street?" Ino cried as she neared her best friend. She put her hands on her hips and looked disapprovingly back towards the large crowds along the street. "It's no wonder this area gets so congested. It's like they lose their minds when they hear of a good bargain, charging towards the first stall they can, paying no attention to who they cut off or crash into! Inconsiderate bast-"

"Not unlike _someone _I know." Sakura muttered cheekily, cutting off her friend's tirade.

"I'm choosing to ignore you." Ino huffed.

"Besides, what does it matter, Ino?" Sakura laughed as she patted Ino's head jokingly. "Your voice is loud enough to overpower any of these people. I heard you just fine. And you aren't the one who has to walk this way in the first place."

Ino wrenched her head away from Sakura's hand and smacked it. "Whatever. I don't care." Ino crossed her arms and fell silent.

Sakura quirked an eyebrow and asked "...Pig?"

"What?" She snapped at the use of her infamous nickname. Sakura grinned at the reaction.

"Was there a reason that you decided to injure half the village and harass me? Or are you just here to say hello?" Ino's face brightened immediately and she squealed loudly, forgetting her annoyance.

"Oh yeah! Oh Kami you will never guess what I found in Shikamaru's drawer today, under all of his socks and boy stuff."

Sakura winced and put a hand to her shaking head. "You went through his _drawers_, Pig? Isn't that a bit...pathetic?"

Ino grinned. "It was an accident. I was just _walking_ and the dresser was just _there _and I tripped. Baddabing, baddaboom, I'm holding my future in the palm of my hand." The blonde finished dramatically.

"Your future?" Sakura said skeptically. "What was it? Flyers for a plastic surgeon?"

"Oh how your witty remarks tickle me." Her friend muttered sarcastically. "No, Billboard-Brow. This!" She thrust out a navy velvet box and waved it before Sakura's eyes. "A ring! A freaking engagement ring! Do. You. Know. What. This. _Means_? "

"You swiped a ring from your boyfriend's underwear drawer?"

"I'm going to get married! _I'm_ going to get _married!_" The smile on Ino's face was so vibrant and beautiful. She was glowing and Sakura really was happy for her. Nevertheless...

"But he might be giving you that ring for something else Ino...I don't want to dash your hopes but-"

"So don't! I just know he is going to ask Forehead. I can't explain it. You've been with Sasuke for years now, so you should understand. I just feel like I know Shikamaru's intentions because I know..._him." _Her eyes blinked and she snapped out of her momentary reverie.

"Does that make any sense, Forehead?"

"Of course not." Sakura sighed and breathed out a laugh. Suddenly she remembered that she was supposed to be heading to work. However she pulled Ino into a bear hug anyways.

"Don't listen to me and my pessimism! I'm living with the Uchiha, so it has practically been programmed into me. I'm happy for you Ino. My little Piggy is finally getting her life's greatest wish! I'm so excited for you two!"

Ino pretended to pout for a moment before the look of utter happiness returned to her face. Sakura winked at her before the girl was pulled into another tight hug.

"I totally am getting my wish! But I'm guessing the injured, sick and dying are beckoning you. Not to mention, I have to get to the shop before nine, so I gotta run too. I was just dying to tell someone. Go to work, save the citizens and we'll get a drink or something tomorrow alright? We need to celebrate!" She laughed in a sing-song voice, waving the box before Sakura's eyes.

Sakura saluted assertively. "Aye aye, cap'in!" Sakura turned towards the hospital and called over her shoulder. "By the way! Shikamaru's going to notice that you went klepto-ninja on his ring Ino."

"...Shit you're right! Gotta go!" Sakura chuckled and briefly looked over her shoulder and waved before Ino leapt onto the nearest rooftop.

Coward. Couldn't even handle a few bargain hunters in the road.

The walk to the hospital was a relatively short one, usually peaceful and uneventful. She was free to allow her thoughts to wander and just enjoy the fresh air. It was normally the most relaxing part of her day. However someone somewhere seemed to have different plans for Sakura today.

As she rounded a corner onto a more tranquil street, she sighed and tipped her head back, inhaling a big breath of morning air. Suddenly she sensed a large mass hurtling towards her and forced herself out of its path, chakra already stemming towards her fist in preparation. Her eyes focused on a clumsy looking man stumbling towards the ground.

"Aieh!" He screeched as his face nearly collided with the ground.

Sakura reacted quickly and launched her hand at his wrist to stop his fall. The man was breathing heavily as he was halted for a split second. Realizing that her fingers were still infused with chakra, Sakura quickly switched hands for fears of breaking his wrist, which jolted the man and brought his nose only a hair's width from the cement. He was left staring wide-eyed at the pavement with his arm behind him, tightly grasped by Sakura.

She smiled sympathetically and pulled him upright onto his feet.

He hunched his shoulders and exhaled a sigh of relief. He smiled widely after a moment and pushed his glasses further onto his nose before running his hand through his hair nervously.

"Phew! Thank Kami you were there Miss! N-normally no one catches me and I end up..." He trailed off and suddenly patted his pants pocket.

"It's no pro...blem...?" Sakura trailed off as she noticed him begin to panic and scramble about the ground. She sighed. She saved him from kissing the sidewalk a moment before only to have him fall to his knees of his own accord two seconds later. "Are you missing something?"

"Unfortunately yes! Some-something extremely valuable and important!" The man pawed desperately at the ground a few more seconds before Sakura spotted a small brown box on the ground near her foot.

"Is this it?" She helped him up and plopped the small case into his hand.

"Dear Kami! Yes! Thank you! You've just saved me twice in a single day!"

"It's really not a problem." She said with a small laugh.

"Oh but it would have been if I hadn't bumped into you by chance! You see I'm- I'm going to ask a very special girl to marry me today and I just can't imagine what I would do if I had lost the ring! Plus, I'd probably be asking her with a broken nose if you hadn't caught me. But I really must run! Thank you again Miss...?" He inquired as he began to move away from her.

"Sakura. And maybe you should just walk! A nice, slow walk. Just don't fall-!"

But he was out of earshot already. Sakura laughed sarcastically to herself. Two proposal situations within half a block of each other. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day. The girl who wasn't able to get her boyfriend to pop the question was now being forced to watch questions being popped all over the place.

_**'Like friggan popcorn.' **_Her inner grumbled monotonously.

Her head felt as though it was slowly being filled with mosquitoes, one by one, each one adding an irritating buzzing sound in the back of her mind.

She wanted to focus on work and to just have a regular day, she really did. But the only thing that she could focus on was the fact that Konoha seemed to be riddled with couples in love who wanted to commit their lives to each other.

_'Am I in love with the one person who doesn't...?'_

* * *

Sakura meandered through the double doors of the hospital, absentmindedly leafing through the reports but not really focusing on them. Her eyes were staring at the words on the pages, but they were looking past them as she went over every aspect of her relationship with Sasuke. She wasn't used to this insecurity. It was a feeling she'd been familiar with when she was much, much younger. But Sakura had long since shed that heavy blanket of self-consciousness that had once engulfed her.

Now it was suddenly back and she felt was though she were stuck under the covers in the middle of summer. It was hot and uncomfortable and she was beginning to feel suffocated by the claustrophobic weight.

All because of Ino and some clumsy random! And the Uchiha! Why the hell didn't her boyfriend want to marry her?

Sakura could feel her infamous temper flaring up. It was as though the gears that got her worked up were turning inside her brain like a clock on overdrive. She was a good girlfriend, dammit! It was no secret that she loved him and cared for him and devoted so much of her time to their relationship. It was high time for him to contribute!

The pink haired began to slightly grind her teeth together as she neared the receptionist's desk to check herself in and to check her files for the day. The receptionist, a girl named Mitsuki who was a few years younger than Sakura peered over the desk's ledge.

"Everything all right, Haruno-san?" She inquired cautiously.

"Fine. Everything's fine. _I'm _fine." She muttered in frustration, forcing the words from between her clenched teeth. "Absolutely _fine._" Mitsuki recoiled. This didn't seem like a good time to press the matter.

Sakura huffed and ran her hand up to her hair and pushed her bangs back.

"Why the hell can't men just suck it up and bite the damn bullet? _Hm?_ It can't possibly be so difficult to commit to your damn girlfriend-" She began to vent to the innocent girl before she was cut off.

"Mitsuki!" All eyes around the lobby of the hospital turned towards the young man standing between the double doors. Sakura turned around, as everyone else and stared at the scene in utter confusion. "I can't wait anymore!" The young man rushed forwards and grabbed her hands passionately sweeping them towards him.

"I'm sorry it took so long, Mitsuki, but I get it now. I need you more than anything. I thought that dating you without any strings or official commitments was what I wanted, but I realize that I need those strings. I want them! They're what hold me together each and everyday. So Mitsuki, will you marry me-?"

"OH GODDAMMIT!" Sakura slammed her clipboard into the desk as her temper boiled over. Was there some kind of sickness going around the village that no one had notified her of? This had crossed the 'ridiculous' border and was now verging on insanity!

Suddenly she realized that all eyes in the room had shifted from the couple to her. Speaking of insanity... She blinked, realizing that she had just interrupted a proposal and made herself look like a complete psychopath.

She pried her clipboard from the wood of the desk in which she had embedded it from the force of her frustration. After she had tucked it neatly into her arms she smiled a little too forcefully.

"Goddammit, I- I... am just _so_ happy for you Mitsuki. So, _so_ happy. Overjoyed really." Yeah, this wasn't like the movies and the people in lobby weren't nearly as easily swayed into laughing and brushing off the situation as she had hoped.

They knew she was crazy.

"Right." After muttering to herself, Sakura turned on her heel and stalked down the hallway, pretending as though she couldn't feel several pairs of eyes on her back as she went.

She rode the elevator up and strongly resisted the urge to press every button to each floor, smash her face into the metal panels until she had suffered severe brain damage and then just endure the long ride, going from floor to floor for several minutes, giving her the chance to die in peace before anyone found her. It was tempting.

Sakura finally reached the floor on which her office was located and made a beeline for it. She escaped into the safe room and tried to steer her thoughts away from all the wedding drama and embarrassment she'd suffered in her first - she glanced at the clock on the wall - six minutes of being at the hospital.

She grabbed some clean scrubs, changing quickly from her formal attire into the green clothes and white lab coat. Technically there was a locker room to change clothes in, but Sakura couldn't be bothered today. It required far too much effort and she had a private office anyways.

As she was pulling her pink hair into a pony tail, a light knock sounded at her door.

'Come in!' She called out.

Hinata stood in the door and happily smiled at her. "O-ohayou S-s-sakura-san" She stuttered sweetly. The Hyuuga padded into the room and waited for Sakura to be ready to head into the first patient's ward. Hinata had always been a gentle and compassionate person, and Sakura felt that her decision to become a medical nin was well suited for her. Hinata was a medical assistant and Sakura counted herself lucky to have Hinata there to help. She had about ten minutes before she needed to start work and she leaned against the desk, deep in thought, trying to gather her spastic thoughts together. The down side to being a medic was that your brain needed to be fully functioning in order for the job to work out.

An aspect Sakura struggled with on a daily basis, one way or another.

Hinata crossed the room and leaned against the desk right beside her.

"Are y-you ok-kay, Sakur-ra-san?"

"Not really. But I will be," She glanced up and smiled kindly at her friend.

"Oh-oh, I-I'm glad to hear i-it."

Sakura stood and slowly walked around the room. "How are you Hinata-chan?"

"I-I'm very w-well Sakura-san. Y-You won't b-believe what Naruto-kun asked me yesterday." She murmured as she poked her index fingers together.

Sakura clenched her fist and turned around to glare at the Hyuuga like some kind of maniac.

"If he asked you to marry him, I swear to Kami, I'm going to leave this building and murder the first furry little creature I find!" The evil glint in her eye made Hinata wonder if she was actually serious.

"O-Of course not-t! H-he asked me i-if I, if I-I would move i-in with h-him." Sakura broke out into a friendly, albeit relieved, grin.

"Oh Hinata-chan, that's amazing! I'm sorry for...snapping but my morning has been a bit... difficult. Like the evil mastermind kind of morning. I'm just testy. Congratulations!"

Sakura hugged her and mentally felt proud of Naruto. He'd come a long way from an oblivious kid to a sweet boyfriend for Hinata. Plus she knew what this step must mean to the girl who had been helplessly in love with her friend for years. If there was anyone who could relate, it was Sakura herself. Sasuke had at the very least asked her to move into the Uchiha complex with him and that day had been one of the happiest that the pinkette could remember.

Then she remembered the state of Naruto's apartment and winced. It might have been more sanitary if Hinata had asked _him_ to move in with _her_...

Sakura took a moment to read over the patient's charts one final time to focus completely on her work. She could never be distracted in her line of work. Sakura had a job to do and she would do it meticulously...But of course she'd probably fret over all this drama as soon as the work day was over.

That damn blanket of insecurity...

* * *

"TEME!" Smoke cleared across the battleground and large holes marred the soil of the training field. On opposite sides of the large expansive field, the two men stood facing each other. Neither of them was in good condition, for they are well matched opponents; both brought out the fighter in the other. To the point where they would forget their friendship and fight till both of them were verging on unconsciousness. Large bruises had sprouted across their skin, and blood was smeared across various parts of the two bodies. One was staring at the other with blood-red, swirling eyes, while the other stood in sage mode with amphibian-like eyes glaring at his opponent intensely.

"..."

"I'm going to _kill_ you!"

"Take it easy Naruto. No one is going to kill anyone." Kakashi sat in the trees a safe distance away from the fight, his nose buried deep in the pages of Icha Icha. His middle-man duties were only executed with minimal enthusiasm. The excitement had worn off considerably after a dozen years of the same routine. He suddenly blushed profusely and giggled into the pages of his book, bringing it closer to his face.

"You're dead Sasuke!" Once again, Naruto was off, leaving little time to recover his energy. He charged furiously towards Sasuke, two clones right alongside him.

"Rasen Shuriken!"

"Amaterasu." Sasuke muttered darkly beneath his breath.

Kakashi's eyes were suddenly alert and he leapt from the trees towards the two crazed men.

He sprinted between the men grasping their arms and twisted them, attempting to avoid the black flames already spreading towards his arm. Naruto swerved and threw his deadly attack off course, sliding to a stop straight into his former sensei. Trees were sliced into halves as the Chakra weapon surged around the densely forested area, a path of destruction in its wake before the Chakra dissipated in a large eruption causing the three men to shield their eyes from the debris. The surrounding area was completely demolished by the blast. Sasuke willed the flames to be put out and placed one hand against his eye. His fist clenched and he closed his eye, feeling blood running down his cheek.

"Getting a bit heated aren't we?" Kakashi panted. "For Kami's sake, I haven't been forced to step in like this in years. I'm too old for these interventions." Kakashi stood between the gasping Shinobi, his visible eye moping in exasperation. He sighed and shook his head, rubbing his forehead with his hand.

Naruto, amidst his ragged breaths, smiled mischievously and plopped down onto the ground crossed legged. He sat back and chuckled.

"Someone is just upset that they had to put aside their porn for three seconds. It was just a spar, ya old pervert! You didn't think I'd actually kill the Teme did you?"

"_No_ one thinks you're _capable_ of it Dobe." Sasuke snapped before leaning broodingly against a tree. His hand was still covering his eye and his vision had blurred dramatically. The Uchiha was waiting impatiently for his sight to return.

"What was that Teme? I was distracted by the blood that's all over your stupid face!" Naruto stood and jabbed his finger into Sasuke's chest.

"Dead last, the blood is from Amaterasu. It's not your doing." Sasuke uttered blatantly. Naruto laughed and threw his arm around Sasuke's shoulder holding one finger up matter of factly.

"Ah...But the only reason you used it was 'cause you knew you couldn't beat me! I bet you can't even see three feet in front of you, right now, can you? 'Tebayo! Right Kakashi-sensei?" He laughed and waited for the scarecrow to say something. But he was gone. "Damn that old pervert!" Kakashi clearly wasn't concerned enough to stick around longer. An awkward silence ensued and both men fell quiet. Naruto sighed and rolled his head to his side. He slowly poked Sasuke in the stomach to annoy him before Sasuke thrust his elbow into Naruto's side lightning fast in response.

"You-y-you stupid Bastard!" Naruto wheezed before sitting on the ground once more. His wounds weren't too severe and he could already feel his body healing itself of its own accord, due to the Kyuubi. He grinned triumphantly as he looked up and saw that Sasuke was still bruised. Still, that jab to the ribs didn't exactly tickle and Naruto decided to steer the conversation to a safer topic.

"Did ya hear about Shikamaru, Teme?"

"Hn." Sasuke turned around and faced Naruto, waiting for him to say what he had to say.

"He's gointa ask Ino to tie the knot. Whipped bastard." Naruto scratched the back of his head and frowned. "But Kami...Ino. Ne, you and Sakura-chan have been together for a long time. Why haven't you asked her yet?"

"Dobe..." Sasuke warned. This was not a topic he was willing to discuss with Naruto.

"I'm just saying! You know she loves you, Kami knows why."

"Aa." Sasuke crossed his arms and stared Naruto down.

"And you haven't even thought about asking her? Did you forget that couples don't date forever or are you just an idiot?" Naruto crossed his one arm and put the other hand to his chin in mock consideration. Sasuke found the fact that Naruto was calling him the idiot amusing.

"I didn't say that I hadn't considered it, Dobe. You assumed I hadn't. Why haven't _you _asked the Hyuuga?"

Naruto made a face and stood up. "Baka! Last I checked, Hinata-chan and I only started going out less than a year ago. You and Sakura-chan have been together a lot longer!"

"Hn."

"Plus, Sakura-chan has loved you since she was twelve, Teme."

Sasuke frowned at Naruto's ignorance. He still hadn't realized that the Hyuuga heiress had loved him for about the same length of time that Sakura had. Even though they were together now, she still practically fainted every time he smiled at her and nearly fell comatose when he kissed her.

"I think you owe her a decent proposal you ass. You deserted all of us to join a certain psychopathic freak and go on a crazy vengeance-power trip and you left her on a bench, completely heartbroken in the middle of the night. Not to mention all the hard work and stress and _pain_ she went through trying to drag your cocky butt back to the people you left in the first place! Plus she takes care of you and feeds you and heals you, just because she happens to love you more than any other person on the planet ever will-"

"Hey Dead Last." Sasuke said as though he had an idea.

"Hmm?" Naruto stopped his train of thought and looked up with curious azure eyes.

"Shut up." The Uchiha turned on his heels and stalked away from the fuming blonde. He longed for the peace of the Uchiha compound, and any escape from the dumb blonde trailing behind him.

His friend grinned and ran after the Uchiha, catching up quickly. He held up his hands, falsely portraying some sort wisdom, and nodded his head. "I get it. No need to be _defensive. _I know _exactly_ why you haven't done it yet." He shrugged and dropped the subject.

"Hn."

"..."

"..."

"It's 'cause you're scared she'll say no." Naruto finished slyly.

Twitch.

"But I guess you don't have to worry. If you lose Sakura because you're too spineless, there are always the girls in that fanclub of yours, Teme. And I doubt she'll have any trouble finding a replacement for your sorry ass. "

Sasuke turned his head lazily to the side and smirked at Naruto. A hint of cockiness and pride was present on his features masked his annoyance. They both knew she wouldn't. She couldn't. If there was one thing in the universe that Sasuke could always count on, it was that Sakura loved him and had for an immensely long time. She didn't know it, but her love was an extreme comfort to him, to know that no matter what he said or did or _didn't_ do, she was and would always be there, offering her love to him. Her supply of care and adoration for him never seemed to run dry. So there wasn't a doubt in his mind that if he asked, she would say yes.

Together the friends made their way through the streets of Konoha, Sasuke returning to the peace and quiet of his empty house. For a moment, while Naruto had his hands clasped behind his head and Sasuke had his hands in their usual place in his pockets, the two just walked in silence, side by side.

Nearing the Uchiha district, Naruto quickly said his goodbyes. He wasn't without plans of his own and started to head towards his horrendously cluttered apartment. Further down the street, he turned and began to walk backwards. With his hands to his lips he called out.

"Oh by the way Teme...You might want to try wiping that blood off your cheek! Sakura's going to murder you when she sees you were using that freaky black-flame-voodoo stuff again! If you have to just mention that you were fighting me and she'll probably understand why you needed to!" He chortled happily and ran up the street.

"Asshole." Sasuke grumbled.

Nonetheless he still pulled his hand from it's place in his pocket and tried to rub away the remains of the blood that was caked under his eye and down his jawline. The Dobe wasn't completely wrong about Sakura...

* * *

The remaining Uchiha sat on the sofa in the main room of his house, meticulously cleaning his katana. He noticed every blemish on the smooth silver surface of the blade. So many memories surrounded this weapon, but in this state of mind, he pushed them aside and focused solely on the motions of his hand.

Sasuke had his katana in perfect condition in a matter on minutes, but still his hand moved in the familiar motions. Sasuke exhaled and inhaled, perfectly relaxed, avoiding his own thoughts. Finally he set aside the sword in its sheath and tilted his head back. His eyes closed of his own accord and his thoughts strayed to Sakura.

Perhaps it _was_ time for him to- Suddenly he sensed a presence and knowing who it would be, pulled away from his pattern of thinking.

A familiar weight landed across his lap as Sakura flopped over the arm of the sofa and lay across his legs on her stomach. She groaned and buried her face into the cushion beside him.

Sasuke cracked on eye open and felt relieved to have her home to distract him. He tried not to dwell on the fact that she was late coming home, that it was fairly late in general and looked as though she were ready for bed already.

"Sakura."

"S-mph-su-eh" She mumbled into the cushion.

"Tir-?" He began to inquire when her finger appeared before his lips, stopping the word before it was fully out of his mouth.

She pulled herself off his lap and onto the seat next to him, plopped her weary head on his shoulder.

"Not tired. Exhausted and fully unwilling to discuss it." She yawned and buried her face farther into his arm. Despite the fact that his shoulders were bony and rock hard, she smiled a small smile and could finally feel the tension slipping out of her.

"Point taken." He stood, jostling her from her comfortable spot on his arm. She pouted momentarily before she could feel him lifting her off the seat and into his arms. Sakura bolted upright in his arms and latched her fingers around his cool neck.

"Kya!"

Sasuke blinked and gave her a questioning look. Sakura relaxed and loosened her hold on his neck slightly and laughed.

"My ass still hurts from your last oh so romantic gesture."

Sasuke smirked and released his hold on her and Sakura felt herself falling just before he caught her again and enjoyed the startled expression on her face as her fingers tightened into a bruising grip.

"I don't find that funny, Uchiha."

"Doesn't change the fact that it was, _Haruno._" He muttered before he took her to their room and laid her gently on the bed. Sakura didn't fully register how ready she was for a nice rest until she could feel her eyes drooping from fatigue. She smiled and thanked him, kissing his palm as it pulled away from her. No matter what Ino or Naruto or anyone thought, her boyfriend could be sweet at very select moments. She heard him shuffling around behind her for a brief second, tossing her her pyjamas and then felt the bed shift as he climbed in behind her and pulled her to his chest once she had squirmed into her jammies. She grinned and allowed herself to doze off, perfectly content in the perfect moment.

Until...

"...I think...it is time to begin rebuilding the Uchiha clan." Sasuke spoke quietly into her hair.

Sakura's eyes popped open, filled with confusion and exasperation. How could he be thinking of sex, when she was practically a zombie in his arms?

"Sasuke, I'm completely dead right now, and I don't think necrophilia really suits you." At least she hoped it didn't. Sakura's eyes popped open; she'd never asked him.

"I wasn't referring to actually creating an heir right this second Sakura." He said and Sakura could practically feel him rolling his eyes subtly behind her head.

"Well then what _are_ you babbling about?" She just wanted to relax back into her perfect, soothing moment of peace with the man she loved.

"You'll have to marry me within the week, to become the official matriarch."

And then of course, he had to shatter it completely. All feelings of exhaustion were thrown aside like ragdolls, next to the feeling of pure anger that was rising within her chest. The feeling was rising up to her cheeks and she sat upright and glaring down at him.

Sakura scoffed at his forwardness. "I beg your pardon? Is that some kind of weird excuse for a proposal?"

Sasuke rolled completely onto his back. "No."

"No?" She repeated skeptically.

"No. I'm not proposing anything. I'm stating a fact. A plan if you will." He deadpanned.

Sakura pursed her lips and attempted to control her anger.

**'Deep breaths Haruno! Deep ****breaths****- Screw it! Kill the bastard! '** Her inner cried. Sakura clenched her fists and felt her nails digging sharply into the tender skin of her palm.

"I see. So I'm just supposed to finish work at the hospital one day, meet you at the Hokage's, and get the damn thing over with. Just so that I can become the friggan containment unit for your spawn a little sooner?" She was literally fuming and wouldn't be surprised if the bed sheets burst into flames around them.

"If you choose to look at it that way. It's a simple matter of-"

"Convenience?"

**'Would it be convenient if I CASTRATED YOU? You-you-you motherfu-!'**

"Like I said Sakura. You can choose to look at it however you want. I'll speak to the Hokage tomorrow and arrange it for-"

"No. You'll do no such thing." She was fisting the cloth of the bed spread, trying to keep her cool. "You can't get married with only one willing partner. This isn't ancient times, no matter how much you insist on acting like a Neanderthal and I refuse, _refuse _to be forced into marriage with such an unbelievably arrogant and irrational jackass!"

"Sakur-"

"I will not even consider marrying you until you ask me. If you had just _asked_ me, Sasuke, I would have agreed. I love you!"

Sasuke sighed. "Will you marry-"

"Just shut up!" She hissed at him. "Because you refused to even try and make this a happy occasion, I will not marry you until you propose properly. No. Until you propose _perfectly._"

"S-"

"Sasuke! I mean it! Shut up! You have two options. Come up with a way to ask me. _Without_ making me feel like nothing more than a method of rebuilding your clan. Come up with a way to ask me, which will make me _want_ to say yes."

"..."

"..."

"What's the second option?"

Sakura hissed and tried to pretend as though his question hadn't ripped through her like a blade and hurt her to her very core. She turned her head to the side and tried unsuccessfully to keep the tears of frustration building behind her eyes at bay. She clenched her jaw and got out of bed, storming out of the room. She glared at him through tear filled eyes one last time as she grabbed some bedding from the closet and left the room to settle in one of the other numerous empty rooms around the house. She yelled over her shoulder, willing her voice not to crack.

"Ask somebody else!"

* * *

**A/N - There it is. I understand that it might not be what you were expecting, or hoping for. But it's what I got.**

**I want to ask you guys to review, but at the same time, I'm terrified of them. OH what the hell? I can suck it up. I can be a man! (heh) Please Review! It would mean the world to me! I'm planning out chapter two tonight... Who knows when it'll be up ^_^; **

**And if anyone wants to take two seconds to vote on my poll to let me now what I should do, I'd appreciate the input!**

**(Scared and Anxious) Twiggy. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Erm... Hello there. Please enjoy this free chapter, this free box of chocolate chip cookies and a free apology from someone who has been avoiding you all for months. ^_^; Heh. Well, there it is. It's not the greatest, but that's all I've got for you. I really, really hope you all don't hate it. Please drop me a review, if you'd be so kind! I love reviews... **

Disclaimer: I don't own it! This world and these characters are Kishimotos. I claim the plot though. 

_PROPOSE TO ME_

(And don't be a thief when you do!)

* * *

Sakura's eyes up at the ceiling and she clenched her jaw. The night had offered no relaxation after such a hard day at the hospital. Sakura crossed her arms over the blanket wrapped around her and took a deep breath. After her fight with Sasuke, she'd hardly slept at all. Her mind was working overtime, dissecting things that were probably better left alone. But she couldn't help herself. She couldn't help thinking about every aspect of their lives together. Was she being too demanding in asking for the proposal of the century? After knowing him throughout her entire childhood and working on the same team with him for years. After staying devoted to bringing him back and seeing him again even after he had left them, for forgiving him and staying by his side while no one else but Naruto and Kakashi-sensei would. After being completely faithful to him as his girlfriend and tried to make him happy in every way possible. She had loved him since she was twelve.

She didn't think it was too much to ask for, for him to want to do this for her.

Then again, it was him she wanted to spend her life with. Sakura wanted a marriage, not a wedding. Originally it had never been about anything fancy or conventional for them (they had never been a cookie cutter couple). It was because of this that she felt a tad guilty for making herself seem so superficial and refusing to agree to his demands just for a storybook proposal.

But that was just the thing. 'His _demands'. _What kind of a man demands for his girlfriend to marry him? Was he that controlling and insensitive? She had always been able to comfort herself with the thought that though he seemed like a prick on the outside, to her he was kind and he was himself in a much softer way than what he showed to others. But now, she was no longer able to cling to that as a comfort. He had acted like a chauvinistic pig that had no clue as to who she was. Did he really think that she'd be totally complacent to all of this? Did he not remember her temper or the fact that their relationship was easily one of the most important things in her life? Did he forget who she was entirely...? Or was it not that he forgot who she was, but rather that he'd prefer her to be someone easier to deal with?

Screw him. He had his choice laid out in front of him. Either he could accept her for who she was and figure out how to do this one little thing, or he could give up and find someone better suited for what he was looking for.

She was working herself up and her lips tightened into a harsh line. She shifted in her little cocoon of blankets and winced. The couch was not a comfortable place to sleep and she could feel dozens of kinks in her neck and body from her uncomfortable position. The sun was shining outside, but her morning today was completely different from the morning she'd had yesterday. Back then she'd had no insecurities and was just happy in her own little world. Now she felt angry and frustrated and alone.

She had heard him wake up a few hours ago, and felt his chakra signals. By now she could hear him moving around their bedroom, even from all the way in the living room. The silence was deafening. She untangled herself from the blankets and padded into the kitchen where she made herself a cup of coffee and shuffled back to her place on the couch. She fell onto the cushions and pulled her legs onto the seat, leaning against the arm of the couch. After holding the coffee in her hands but not really paying enough attention to actually drink it, she sighed with a fed up expression covering her features. Her eyes flicked to the bedroom door when she heard the shower turn on. Sakura made her move and stoically grabbed herself a shirt and a pair of comfy pants after padding into the room. She knew he knew she was there, but she chose to ignore the fact that he was only behind one door. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail. The water turned off and she knew he'd be out of the shower soon enough. The medic sighed and grabbed everything she needed for the day as well as her makeup, shoved it all in a bag and turned around to leave the room, just as quietly and quickly as she had entered it.

Sakura, jaw still tight in frustration, left the eerily quiet Uchiha home without a word or a glance to the man who had hurt her so badly, her coffee still untouched on the coffee table.

Sasuke crept out of the shower, knowing that Sakura had left. He had lost track of her chakra and knew that she was avoiding him. He breathed out a frustrated breath and scratched the back of his head. He knew that he wasn't the most charming man that Sakura could be with. He knew it very well, but what did she expect? He had never been the romantic one to shout his feelings at the top of his lungs. Ever. What made her expect something extraordinary this time?

He gritted his teeth, yanked his Jounin vest from the hook where it was kept and stalked into the cold, quiet kitchen. After tossing his vest onto the back of a chair, he grabbed a tomato from the bowl on the table and ran under the tap for a moment, mulling everything over. Sakura shouldn't expect something that he just wasn't capable of giving! He wasn't going to pretend to be some kind of Romeo and beg her to marry him, because he was an Uchiha. He was Sasuke Uchiha. He was practical and never let his emotions get the better of him, because he didn't like to feel vulnerable. Like a child.

He dropped the tomato on the counter and gripped the edge of the sink with two hands, breathing heavily in annoyance. He shook his head and sneered. Sakura was just being stubborn. Why did she have this naive veil over her eyes all the time, thinking that everything was some kind of fairytale? Sakura had known who he was from the very, very beginning of everything. It wasn't as though he had changed his personality at the root of things and was suddenly springing this on her.

So what if he was practical and had just come out with the question in a straight forward manner? What did it matter? It showed her that he did in fact want her in his life and that she was the one he wanted to head his clan. Why couldn't she ignore the things the things he said and focus on what it was that he was trying to convey without words?

He tapped his finger against the cool metal of the sink before spinning around and grabbed both his vest and his breakfast. But as he was heading to the door, he felt a wave of guilt flood him like a wave as he noticed the mess on blankets strewn over the couch and the cold coffee left on the table.

Perhaps this meant more to her than he had even considered. Maybe she was looking for him to show her some form of affection this one time, because she _did_ accept the fact that she wouldn't receive it every day.

He shrugged his Jounin vest over his shoulders and glanced one last time at the sofa, before turning and walking slowly out the door.

* * *

Sakura sighed and brushed a hair off her forehead before turning and walking towards her office. It had been a tiring day, as per usual. Only she was still frustrated with her situation at home and really wasn't looking forward to finishing work and returning.

She reached her office and closed the door behind her. Taking a moment to ease the tension from her shoulders, she leaned against the back of the door and closed her eyes. She started when a light tap sounded on the other side of the door. Sakura turned and opened the door to see Hinata standing there sweetly

"Hi Sakura-ch-chan."

"Oh hi, Hinata-chan. " Sakura smiled and let her friend come further into the room and leaned against the wood of her desk.

"I-Is everything alright?

Sakura blinked and looked away for a split second. "What do you mean?"

Hinata put a hand on her shoulder and give her a concerned look. "Y-you just seem a little sad. I've seen you t-today and you seem distracted and j-j-just a little bit unlike yourself."

Sakura put on a smile and pulled her friend in for a quick hug.

"I'm fine, no worries!"

"You're s-sure?" Hinata's brow furrowed and she still wore a look of concern.

"Yes," Sakura laughed, "I'm just fine. Only a little tired." Hinata still seemed suspicious of Sakura's cheery exterior but she didn't press the conversation. Sakura would share her thoughts at some point, sooner or later.

"As l-long as you're really ok-kay. I-I actually came in here to l-let you know that-"

Hinata was cut off by the loud obnoxious ring of Sakura's office phone. Sakura winced apologetically and went to quickly see what the call was about.

"FOREHEAD! We're getting drinks tonight! You, me and the girls. The marriage is on BITCHES!-" Sakura rolled her eyes and hung up the phone before her inner ear imploded. Ino. Of course. Clearly, her engagement to Shikamaru had been made officially official. After all of Ino's snooping around, Sakura had been sure it would be with the next few days. Shikamaru had a dry sense of humor, but he wasn't cruel enough to force her to wait for the question after she already knew he was planning on asking.

She rubbed her temples and tried to feel happy. She was happy for Ino, she knew. Ecstatically glad that her friend was so unbearably happy. The blonde had been dreaming of this moment for Kami knew who long, and while Ino would sure as hell make Sakura want to tear out every strand of her own hair, this marriage was a good thing for Ino. This way she'd know that the genius loved her the way she was and she'd be able to stop the incessant dieting (after the big day of course) and she'd be able to stop fussing over her looks and her image of perfection. Because at the end of every day, she'd have Shikamaru to come home to, who'd love her if she had a single hair out of place and equally as much if she looked like she'd been to hell and back.

Sakura was truly happy for Ino.

She just couldn't _feel_ it at the moment. She bit her lips and furrowed her brow. _**'That complete asshole has ruined everything.'**_ Her inner whined.

Hinata cleared her throat and smiled. "I-I just came in to tell you that-"

"That Ino's planned a night out with the four of us?" Sakura laughed, "I've just heard, straight from the pig's mouth. Her voice is still echoing in my ears." Jade eyes rolled and Sakura shook her head.

Hinata uttered a small light hearted chuckle and nodded. "I-I-I suppose that I sh-should have guessed she'd tell you herself."

After a sigh and plans to meet Hinata and the other two girls at their usual meeting place, Sakura found herself waving as Hinata made her way down the hallway.

She sighed and leaned against the door once more. Maybe a night out with Ino, Hinata and Tenten would be just what she needed. She smiled and began to remove her dirty scrubs to change back into her every day clothes.

* * *

Sasuke's brow seemed to be permanently furrowed in a concentrated and slightly frustrated look. He had his hands burrowed safely in his deep pockets. He was dressed for training, but he hadn't been able to force himself to go. He had always been one to think things through and to focus on a problem until he had figured out a solution.

But until that happened this time, he just couldn't go see that Dobe and forget about it.

Sasuke was puzzled and he felt the dead weight of his guilt sitting in the pit of his stomach. He turned his head to the sky and kept walking, mulling everything over in his head. How could he make Sakura happy? The thing that she wanted was something he wasn't.

His mouth formed a grim line as he noticed a married couple meander past him. The woman's arm was looped snugly through that of her husband's and she was leaning her head on his shoulders, laughing so hard that Sasuke could spot the happy tears in her eyes. The woman was at the point of laughing where she wasn't even making a sound. The man was laughing and smiled down at her, clearly enjoying the fact that whatever it was he had said, he had made her so happy. Their wedding bands gleamed on their fingers in the sunlight.

Sasuke glared and wondered if he should just walk over there and ask the bastard how he had managed it.

His name being called from somewhere in the distance stole his attention and he turned ever so slightly to see who it was.

'_Perfect.' _

"Teme! Where. Have. You. Been?" Naruto jogged up to him and rested his hands on his knees as he regained his breath. Sasuke rolled his eyes and continued walking slowly down the path.

"You're out of shape, Dobe" He stated quietly.

Naruto straightened up immediately and indignantly strutted up to keep pace with the Uchiha.

"Am not, you stupid bastard! Anyways, I just came to tell you that Hinata just told me that Sakura-chan and the girls'll be goin' out tonight. I figured I'd pass on the message since Sakura's going..." Naruto trailed off after the lack of response and shoved his hands into his own pockets and together the two men walked in silence, the perfect mirror of each other. After several silent minutes, Naruto turned his head and observed the irritated and clearly pensive look on Sasuke's face. He recognized the expression and simply swallowed the question that he was planning on asking. It was probably best to let his friend think for the time being.

A nice thought.

However Naruto grew bored easily and after only a few more seconds he turned back to face the black haired shinobi. "What's the matter, you old bastard?" He said laughing.

"Hn. Just thinking, Naruto."

The blonde haired man blinked and did a quick double take. He was surprised by the eerily calm use of his name. It wasn't often that he heard it coming from Sasuke.

"About what, exactly?" Naruto pressed.

"It's none of your concern." Sasuke glared at the man who had decided to push himself into issues where he truly didn't belong.

"Teme, I'm your best friend. So no matter how much you'd _like_ to pout in silence, you're going to have to come out with it." Naruto put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder to stop his aimless walking.

"Nevermind, Dead Last." Sasuke muttered and shrugged the hand off. Naruto wondered what problem Sasuke was trying solve if he was too focused to even throw in a half decent insult.

"You know what helps me when I need to think things throu-?"

"Yes." Sasuke supplied immediately. "Not now, Dobe." He cut him off and rolled his eyes.

"Yes now, Teme! He grabbed Sasuke by the back of his collar and began to yank his friend towards Ichiraku's. When Sasuke threw his elbow behind him to make the man let go, Naruto spun around towards the front and shoved him in the direction of the ramen stand.

"No use fighting! Nothing'll ever get between me and my ramen, idiot! 'Tebayo!"

Sasuke knew that Naruto had a solid point and gave up the struggle. He'd figure out a way to get out of it when Naruto was too busy shovelling noodles in his face to even notice.

* * *

Sakura ran home after work and stopped outside to check if there was any sign of her boyfriend around. Feeling no trace of his chakra, she breathed out and walked inside. There was no way she was going out with her friends looking like slob.

She threw her bag on the kitchen table and yanked her makeup from its depths. She jogged to her room and went straight for her closet to grab some clothes. She quickly tore off her dingy shirt and her jeans and hopped in for a two minute shower. She figured her hair would dry quickly enough on its own so she just towel dried it for a minute. She traded in her towel for a blue tank top and a pretty black skirt, adorned with bright splashes of colour in purple, aqua and pink, along with several others. She shrugged on a black wrap around cardigan and hopped around until she managed to slip on a pair of flats. She nodded into the mirror and shook out her hair. She quickly smeared some makeup over her eyes and scampered back to the kitchen. She was already late and Ino was probably already drunk.

Sakura threw her bag over her shoulder and turned towards the bar where she and the girls had planned to meet. She walked briskly, jogging every now and then, before slowing down again. Glancing in both directions quickly before jogging across the street, the medic noticed the bar up ahead and slowed down. Sakura pushed open the door and was immediately hit with the smell of booze and smoke. She smirked. It was dark and the room was loud, smoky. But she still loved it here. She was able to talk as loudly as she wanted to and be herself, and she'd just fit in with the countless faces in the crowd of people who didn't mind.

Her eyes scanned the room for a head of bright blonde hair and grinned. There they were. She shuffled through the sea of drunkards and friendly people just out for a drink until she could just plop down next to Tenten. Tenten looked confused at the sudden apparition, but she recognized the head of pink hair and grinned.

"I've missed you!" She laughed and pulled Sakura into a hug.

"I've missed _you_!" Sakura yelled back over the noise of the room. It had been ages since she'd had a chance to be out with her friends. From time to time she'd run into Tenten, but one of them would often be called away to take care of something or other.

Sakura glanced across the table and smiled at Ino and Hinata. She saw the rock on Ino's hand and reached across the table to yank her hand forwards.

"So, did he actually propose, or did you pull the good old Mind Body Switch on the poor bastard and switch back in time to say yes...? " Sakura laughed as she examined the ring. Ino smirked and replied "You'll never get me to admit it Forehead!" Sakura grinned and reached across the table to pull her into a hug. From the looks of it, Ino was already tipsy, as she giggled incessantly when she settled back down into her seat. Tenten was holding a glass of water while Hinata had what looked to be an untouched Shirley Temple in front of her.

Sakura waved over the waitress and asked politely for a water, before turning back to the girls. She would drink eventually, but she'd save the fun stuff for later and pace herself. She slammed a hand onto the table and said "Well, let's hear it! How'd it happen Ino?"

Ino clapped her hands together as though she was surprised and thrilled to be asked the question.

"Oh Kami, guys. It's was so perfect, so totally Shikamaru."

"Imagine that guys," Tenten said slyly "Shikamaru proposed in a Shikamaru way. I'm shocked. Aren't you?"

"Oh, I know Tenten. That was the last thing I expected to hear."

Ino rolled her eyes as Hinata giggled into her hand.

"Keep g-going, Ino-c-chan." Hinata supplied.

"So, first thing this morning he shakes me awake and tells me he has to leave early, right? I just nodded, cause, I mean... I'm sleeping. But he tells me he'll see me later. I just went to work and did my normal day to day stuff. Whatever, not important. So at lunch time, I walked outside to go grab something to eat when I notice him just leaning against the wall beside me."

Sakura felt interested in what she was saying, but each word felt like a pebble falling into her stomach. She shook her head and forgot about her own problems. This was about Ino.

"So he started to walk beside me and I'm wondering why he's there in the first place. But when I started to walk to one of the food carts, he just paid for what I wanted and grabbed my arm. We start heading towards the park, towards the hill where he loves to go. It's the prettiest place I have ever seen in my _life._ I look up and see the clouds. Of course he wants to sit and watch the clouds. That's what I meant when I said it was typical Shikamaru. " She looked pointedly across the table.

Tenten chuckled and nodded her understanding. "I get it, I get it. Keep going."

"Shikamaru leans back, and just relaxes for a while. And I was just eating, or whatever and when I'm finished, I laid down beside him and we just sat there. Not saying anything. Then he looks at me and back up to the sky." Ino sighed and smiled. "And then he just said: 'I don't know how you did it.' I gave him a look, cause I have, like, no idea what he's doing at this point."

"You hadn't figured it out by then, Pig? You knew he was planning on proposing, you found the ring! He starts acting weird and takes you to a romantic location and you didn't know what was going on-?"

"Hey! Annoying girl with the big forehead, sitting in the front row! Shut up!" Ino yelled. Sakura grinned and waved her hand to let her know she could continue without interruption.

"Well, I might have had an _idea. _But I was still surprised. Anyways! He looks at me and I ask him what he's getting at. He just keeps staring upwards and then he said: 'I think you're crazy and troublesome. You get on my nerves. And you're loud as all hell.' And I'm starting to get a bit miffed here! But then he just looks at me and tells me that 'Even so, I still don't mind you.' " Ino paused for effect and smiled at the memory.

"Then he just pulled out the ring and tossed it to me, as if it were nothing special. He tells me that he knew that I knew about it and that I could just go ahead and have it. I started to cry and laugh and all that, blah blah blah. But, I mean, he didn't ask. So I gave him back the ring and told him that I needed him to ask me. Shika just sighed and said something about adding 'Demanding' to his list. But still, he stood up and then gave me his hand to help me up. Then he got down on one knee and asked the question. "

Sakura , Tenten and Hinata grinned and burst out in happy laughs. A chorus of 'congratulations' rang out from them, but Ino was loudest of all.

"I KNOW RIGHT!" Ino waved down a waitress and asked for a round of drinks. Sakura laughed as Ino plopped one in front of Hinata and told her to join the dark side. Hinata blushed and took a hesitant sip. The three of them observed her with smiling eyes and Sakura watched her with her hands clasped as the shy Hyuuga raised the glass up to her lips again. Ino gave Sakura a high five across the table.

They proceeded to toast to the Soon-to-be-Nara and chat about their lives. Sakura dreaded her turn because she had a feeling that they wouldn't buy a made up story.

"So Sakura, what's going on with you and the tight ass?" Tenten laughed.

Sakura glanced away and then looked at her hands. "It's good. You know, same old same old. Things don't vary much with a boyfriend like Sasuke." She smiled and looked up and them all choosing to concentrate on their foreheads instead of their eyes.

"Yeah, I can see that." Tenten conceded. "But what's really going on Sakura? You're avoiding our eyes."

"Y-yes, t-tell us, because you w-weren't acting l-like yourself today." Hinata chirped in her two cents.

Sakura sighed. She didn't want to bring down the group. "_Nothing _is wrong, girls."

"Nothing my ass, Billboard Brow. Spit it out." Ino said as she grabbed her fruity drink and took a swig.

Sakura followed her lead and took one of her own drink. Then she got down to the truth.

* * *

"I'm sorry, you did WHAT?"

"You heard."

Naruto slammed his head on the counter, quaking silently. Sasuke closed his eyes and waited for the explosion. Naruto lifted his head and covered his eyes with his hands and continued to shake with laughter.

All of a sudden, Teuchi flinched as Naruto's laugh busted out loud, startling Ayame from the other side of the bar.

"This is why I don't like going anywhere with you, Dead Last." Sasuke sulked.

"I'm sorry, Teme. But that has got to be the stupidest thing you've done lately." Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes and continued to giggle like a child.

"I don't see much humour in this, Naruto."

"You might not, but I do! You've got to be the biggest moron in Konoha!" Naruto smiled as Ayame placed a bowl of ramen in front of him and he began to inhale it. Sasuke smacked him across the back of his head and stood to leave before his path was blocked by Kakashi and Shikamaru.

"Itai!" Naruto cried from behind him.

"Yo. What's the hurry, Sasuke?" Kakashi smiled, his fingers marking the place in his book, his other hand raised in his typical greeting.

"Yeah Teme!" Naruto grinned as he looked up from his rapidly depleting bowl of ramen. "What _is _your hurry?"

"Naruto, I swear to Kami." Sasuke warned as his fists clenched beside him.

"Seems like Uchiha's not in the mood for company." Shikamaru mumbled from beside Kakashi. "That's his own fault, right Sasuke?" Naruto quipped from his seat. Sasuke wheeled around and raised his fist to silence Naruto after an hour of his friends irritating comments, before Kakashi grabbed his arm.

"Now now, Sasuke. I didn't bring Shikamaru here to witness the inner dynamics of our team." He smiled and his one visible crinkled up. "Shikamaru here has some good news." Said ninja shoved his hands behind he head and looked to the side, avoiding the eyes of not only his three friends, but the workers of the ramen shop as well.

"It's nothing."

"Actually, it's not." Kakashi piped in. "Shikamaru's going to be a married man soon."

"Ehhhh?" Naruto spun to look at the sarcastic and bored looking man. "You and Ino-chan are gonna tie the knot?"

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed the back of his neck "That's the plan. This is all too troublesome..."

Naruto laughed and stood. "Congrats!" He clasped Shikamaru's hand in a friendly gesture and thumped him on the back. "I bet Ino-chan was pretty excited. Good luck with that one, buddy." Naruto noticed how stiff Sasuke was standing. Sasuke gave the engaged shinobi a nod.

"So how'd you pop the question?" Naruto wondered.

Shikamaru told a quick, concise version of the story that Ino had already enthusiastically shared with her best friends. Sasuke leaned against the ramen bar, listening attentively while wishing he could be anywhere but in this place.

"Hey, speaking of _marriage_..." Sasuke snarled when he heard Naruto's words at the end of Shikamaru's story. "Teme's got a funny story-"

"Dobe." Sasuke snarled.

"Aw come on Teme! Maybe they can help you out! Shikamaru's a genius."

"..."

"Fine."

"..."

"I'll tell them."

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ino screeched from the table. "What. A. Slimy. JERK!" She shouted, already drawing attention to the group.

"I'm normally understanding of the guy, I mean, being with Neji and all. They're so alike.." Tenten said fairly. "But when Neji and I got engaged, he still asked. He still tried to make me happy. Sasuke was just acting like an inconsiderate piece of-"

"Shit." Hinata hiccupped from the other end of the table. The other three girls blinked at the normally shy and proper girl. Maybe it was time to cut her off...

"As surprised as I am to hear that coming from you, I agree." Tenten finished.

"But he was just being himself, I guess. I don't know. I think I'm probably overreacting over this mess. I don't want to act so superficial about something as important as this. I don't want to scare him away by demanding something he can't give."

"Don't!" Ino slammed her hand on the table. "Don't you dare. Yes, he's a moody, quiet, dark guyvwith a large stick buried deeply in places we won't mention... We all knew this. But this is important to you, and he should have known. He's known you forever Sakura! You fought so hard for him and he can get off his high horse and accept that he's got to make an effort!" Ino cried.

"Exactly." The other two ladies nodded in solid agreement.

"You're right, I know you're right but I still feel stupid for causing this much drama. I feel guilty." Sakura bit her lip.

"Well you can just leave the guilt to Uchiha and have an actual drink!" Ino laughed. She waved over a round of drinks for the girls and smiled mischievously. Sakura bid adieu to her healthy liver.

"Now. I feel as though the best way to punish Sasuke would be to..."

"Tie him to the bed and shave his hair." Tenten stated. The girls all nodded, imagining Sasuke's bald head and took a swig of their drinks.

"I-I think you should pay all t-the food merchants in town to refuse to sell him their tomatoes" Hinata muttered.

"Ooh. Good one." Sakura smiled. Together they clinked glasses before taking another drink.

"OH! Tie him to a post in the street, naked of course, with a note on his forehead for his fangirls reading: He's all yours."

"Do to him what you will." Sakura finished and they tipped their heads back once more. Sakura could feel her balance getting shakier and as though the whole room was spinning around her. Progressively, as the room got blurrier, the suggestions seemed to get so much funnier. Soon they were all laughing uncontrollably.

" Okay, okay, okay. Here's the plan: We write a convincing love letter in Sasuke's handwriting and send it to... Who should we send it to?" Ino paused and thought for a moment before Hinata chimed in.

"Ebisu!" The three of them began to laugh and continued their newly adopted drinking game.

"If we pretended as though _we _had a pole up _our _butts, I think we could pull it off. Everyone already has doubts about whether he even likes women." Tenten said evenly, her finger on her chin in thought.

"I could always ask Tsunade-sama to give him only D-rank missions. H-he can spend a month babysitting that poor cat, T-Tora! Maybe he can ask the crazy woman who owns the cat to marry him!" Sakura stuttered before slamming her face on the table in a fit of laughter.

"How about we die all of his clothes pink?" Tenten suggested "And replace his boxers with tighty-whities!"

"What if I were to tell you that he didn't wear boxers in the first place?" Sakura laughed into her hand.

"What! Sasuke-Manly-Man-Uchiha doesn't wear boxers?" Ino cried, tears of mirth gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"Not anymore, he doesn't!" Sakura shouted and they dissolved into fits of laughter once more. They had been at it for a while and several drinks had been polished off. They began to gather their things, unsteady on their feet. Their words had long since begun to slur together and they received amusing looks from the other patrons as they stumbled out into the street. Together they linked arms and the four intoxicated kunoichi began to head down the road.

* * *

"You didn't Sasuke." Kakashi winced as he listened to Naruto's story. Sasuke glared and crossed his arms, avoiding their questioning eyes. Ayame and Teuchi pretended to clean, Ichiraku's long since closed and were listening in on the discussion.

"You really are-" Kakashi began.

"Stupid?"

"Inconsiderate?" Naruto and Ayame supplied respectively.

"Screwed." Shikamaru said decidedly.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, annoyed with the people surrounding him.

"I understand that you're...you." Kakashi said. "But as a sort of father figure to Sakura, I feel as though you should know that you'll have to come up with something really good. I'm sorry to say, but I think you've really crossed a line Sasuke."

But everyone's attention was drawn to the sound of high pitched giggles coming from the road. The four men stood and meandered into the street to see who it could be, though the answer was already clear to each of them.

Shikamaru sighed from beside Sasuke as they watched their drunken girlfriends stagger down the street towards them. They all had their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders to keep some sort of upright position and they were still laughing and their own private joke.

Naruto gaped from where he stood. He pointed an accusing finger at Ino and began to shout.

"Y-you! You corrupted my Hinata-chan!" He grabbed Hinata from her place in the line and pulled her close, seemingly shielding her from the influence of Ino and the other girls. He pouted and looked down at his innocent girlfriend, hiccuping and swaying in his arms. "You_ poisoned_ her!" He shrieked.

"O-oh relax Naruto." Hinata muttered from his chest.

"N-naruto?" The blonde whimpered. She'd never called him by his name only. "Listen, I can understand _Sakura-chan_ getting drunk, what with the Teme and his bastardly deeds...but _Hinata-chan? _He interrogated, pouting his lips and glared at Ino before grabbing Hinata in his arms and heading home.

Shikamaru wandered over to his fiancé and supported her as well, knowing that if he didn't she'd probably fall if he didn't. He smirked as she flung her arms around him and grinned like a goof.

"You made me happy, Shika." She mumbled into his shirt, already on the verge of falling asleep.

"Let's get you out of the road, crazy woman."

He turned to face the other guys and nodded before he too began to take Ino home. Sakura clung to Tenten and begged her not to send her home with the bastard.

"I've got my own bastard to get home to!" Tenten replied sadly. "He's goin'ta kill me. And then make me train in the morning." She groaned. Sasuke heard footsteps and turned to see the Hyuuga approaching them.

"I had an inkling that I'd find her at the loudest part of town at this hour." Neji muttered before he grabbed Tenten and began to lead her home. She blushed and put her face into the crook of her husband's neck, mumbling her thanks. He shook his head seriously and muttered that she'd had too much to drink. She smiled and shrugged before she began to feel drowsy.

Kakashi smiled and waved his hand once more. "I take it you've got this one covered?" Sakura grabbed his hand and pleaded with him not to abandon her with Sasuke. She had avoided him all day, damn it! Only to be foiled at the end of the night. He winked at her and assured her she'd be fine with Sasuke.

"No, don't go." She whispered but soon she found herself being lead towards the Uchiha complex. Sasuke lead her by the arm until they had made it around the corner, before stopping and picking her up. He held her in his arms and began to carry her the rest of the way.

"Sasuke," she mumbled as she too began to succumb to sleep.

"Hn." He questioned as he glanced down at the pinkette in his arms.

"You suck." Sakura finished as she nodded off to sleep, her face nestled in his chest.

Sasuke frowned as he entered the Uchiha home and made his way to the bedroom, lost in thought once again.

* * *

Sakura's eyes opened and immediately she wished they hadn't. She groaned at the light invading her room and willed herself to go back to sleep. The sunlight was making her head ache terribly. The first thing she noticed was the awful taste in her mouth. It felt dry and gross and her throat felt sore. It was then that she wished for a glass of water to appear before her, without her having to move.

Sakura glanced at her bedside table and was surprised to find exactly that; a full glass of water and an apple, sitting neatly beside her bed. Her head felt like her brain was going to pound right out of her skull and she brought her heads up to her brow. Her fingers glowed green as she gently rubbed her head and tried to ease the pain away.

Hangover's were made infinitely better by being a medic nin. She grabbed the glass of water and chugged it down as quickly as she could to rid herself of the terrible taste in her mouth. She rubbed her eyes and tried to remember the details of her night. Memories of laughing, staggering and drinking too much invaded her head and she groaned.

What a night.

She sat up and leaned against the headboard of her bed and sat crossed legged under the covers. Looking down, she fully realized that she had slept in her own bed last night, though there was no sign of Sasuke. A frown adorned her features as she wondered where he was and if he had slept in bed with her last night. But as she kicked off the blankets and quietly made her way to the kitchen for another glass of water, she noticed the blankets that had once been strewn all over the couch, folded neatly on the couch.

She tried not to smile at the gesture. Sasuke had given her the bed and had taken the couch. It was sweet, and he was making it harder to feel angry with him.

She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and turned the tap on to quickly have another drink. She spun around and tipped her head back as she drank, leaning back against the sink. She finished and spotted a neatly folded paper lying on the table. Sakura put her glass away and picked up the note that read:

'Meet me at the bench when you wake up.'

The bench. She knew the one. It had become their...place of sorts. He had left the village when she was twelve and the bench was where he had left her that night. A tearful, restless sleep on a cold bench. Since then, it had become a special place where they would meet and Sakura got the feeling that every time he was there, Sasuke was trying to reassure her that he wouldn't leave her there alone again. It probably wasn't the case, but she liked to think so. Returning to the bedroom, she showered to cleanse herself of the strange feeling of being dirty, and threw her hair up in a ponytail. She got dressed and grabbed the apple from where it lay on the nightstand, taking a few quick bites before leaving the house.

She walked slowly through the streets and took in a few deep breaths of fresh air, feeling a hundred times better than she had when she first woke up. She approached the bench and noticed him standing behind it, leaning his weight against the back of the bench with his arms crossed. She masked her chakra, though he had probably already notice it, and quietly walked to sit on the bench and rested her head in her hands, her elbows on her knees.

"Hn." She heard him grumble and before she knew it, he was standing in front of her with his hand out. She took it and he helped her up.

"Listen," she began, "Thanks for you know...last night-" However he had already begun to walk back down the road, and left her standing there bewildered. But she trusted him, to an extent, and ran to catch up. They walked side by side completely silent. She glanced towards him, but he seemed determined to avoid her eyes.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura just kept walking. Soon they came to the training grounds and Sakura quirked a confused eyebrow at her boyfriend. He took the lead and led her into a densely forested area where Sakura stopped walking and crossed her arms. He stooped and began to walk into the bush, disappearing into a sea of green.

'_**What has gotten into him...?**_' Her inner demanded, with a bemused look on her face. Sakura shrugged and tilted her head to the side before shaking her head. She laughed in spite of it all and decided that she might as well follow the Uchiha.

She began to weave through dozens of branches and a mess of leaves, keeping track of Sasuke as she went. Her hair got caught on a branch and she muttered about needing a haircut as she tried to free herself from the grasp of the branch. She was beginning to wonder why she had decided to listen and follow such a nutcase, when she noticed the clearing ahead. She tumbled out of the overgrown path they had just made through the trees and nearly lost her balance, before Sasuke reached out and caught her. She smiled sheepishly and blew a hair out of her face as Sasuke smirked slightly from above her.

Sakura righted herself and brushed off the stray leaves in her hair before taking in the sight before her. And there she saw the prettiest clearing she had ever seen, especially in Konoha.

"How did you find this?" She gasped and looked at him, the question hanging in the air.

He stuffed his hand in his pockets and started to walk towards the hill in the center. The clearing was closed in on all sides, by beautiful strong Japanese oak trees. The sunlight hit the leaves, making them glow in bright emeralds and yellow greens, and in the center, a hill rose from the ground. The grass blew lightly with just a touch of a breeze. Across the ground, small clumps of flowers grew here and there. Sakura slipped off her shoes and decided to carry them beside her, and feel the soft grass under her toes. She laughed and smiled at Sasuke. She couldn't believe he had done this. He motioned his head for her to hurry up and she burst out in happy laughter.

She bolted across the clearing and jumped onto Sasuke throwing her arms around him. "It's beautiful!" He grunted as he caught the girl flying at him and he observed the childish glow in her cheeks. Sakura looked up and felt the sunlight shining on her face as she meandered forwards, warming her cheeks and felt so incomparably happy. And then she opened her eyes.

And saw the shocking bright blue sky over her head with fluffy white puff of clouds drifting lazily across the blue canvas.

It wasn't possible.

Sakura shook the possibility out of her head. He was not that stupid. He was the prodigy of the village and one of the strongest shinobi of the age. There was no way in _hell _he was this stupid.

He walked up from behind her to pass her, playfully (as playfully as Sasuke Uchiha would ever be) bumping into her with his shoulder, jerking her out of her thoughts. They walked up the small hill and took a seat at the top. He eased backwards until he was lying down awkwardly and Sakura crossed her legs and stared at him.

"Stop watching me." He mumbled as he looked towards the sky.

"What else should I watch?" She joked and then all of a sudden she felt Sasuke's hand on her shoulder, yanked her down into the grass beside him.

"Anything. Clouds." He continued to stare into the sky and Sakura took a deep breath and prayed that he was just a romantic.

'_**Watch the **__clouds__**!'**_ her inner shrieked. _**'You've **__got __**to be kidding me!' **_

He sat up and bent his legs in front of him, folding his hands together in front of his face. He looked confused and awkward and out of his element. Sakura started to sit up but he put his hand down and made her stay where she was.

"Sakura...You're annoying." He muttered.

"Ehhhh?" Sakura felt offended from the out of the blue insult.

"And weak and violent and ignorant and obnoxious" He added. "And-" He paused looking for a word. "Loud."

She pursed her lips and sat up, brushing off his hand when he tried to stop her. She ran her hands feverishly through her hair. "What..?" She said quietly in a frustrated tone. It was becoming clear that she had chosen to fall for the stupidest man on earth. The meeting, the walk, the hill, the clouds, the insults; it all fit. Even after all the alcohol she had consumed, she knew that this was a bad version of Shikamaru's proposal.

"But I don't hate you." He said slowly. And Sakura scoffed loudly. What a spectacular guy, he didn't hate her! A real Saint.

"Oh thanks!" She bit sarcastically. Sasuke wanted to hit himself in the face. He was terrible at this.

"I think we should get married." He finished bluntly. She clenched her jaw, but when she turned to look at Sasuke she plastered a smile on her face.

'_So I gave him back the ring and told him that I needed him to ask me.' _Ino's words rang through her mind and she figured she'd go along with this crap proposal for the sake of good fun.

She giggled. "You're sweet Sasuke. I see what this was all about, even though you're lacking a bit of eloquence. And you're going to have to make it up to me for all those things you said." He smirked and looked away, happy that she seemed to understand.

"But you uh- You still didn't ask. I need you to ask me." Sasuke stood slowly and turned to face her, offering his hand. She grasped it tightly and was hauled to her feet. He looked at a loss for how to go about it so he just leaned forward and looked directly into her eyes.

"Sakura." He mumbled, close to her face. She felt her breath grow ragged and had to force herself to resist his lips. He was bad at being romantic and sincere. He was good at sexy though. "Will you marry me?" He smirked knowing that this was it. He had, granted, stolen another guy's general plan for proposing. He had also gotten directions to the clearing from the same ninja. On the other hand, he was charming his way back into her good graces now. Sakura smiled slowly and tried to look as sexy as possible. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled into the crook where his jaw met his neck, standing on her tippy toes to reach. He held her and brought his hands to her waist as she lifted her head.

"Oh Sasuke..." She whispered. "This was perfect. I'm so happy. I love today... And I love you." He smirked and moved forwards to capture her lips but she turned her head to the side. "But you..." Sakura took a slow, dragging breath and looked from his lips to his eyes, "Forgot..." She did it again slowly, feeling his desire to kiss her. His hands grew tighter around her waist. "One..." she moved insignificantly closer. "Little thing..." She was literally speaking against his lips now.

"Hn." He muttered, growing impatient.

"This!" And she slapped him dead across the face.

"..." He looked neutral and slightly peeved at the red mark growing on his cheek.

"You're a complete moron! I-I can't even believe this! You didn't _actually_ think this would work, did you! I'm not that stupid Sasuke!" The clearing seemed to have lost all beauty knowing that this was probably the exact same place where Shikamaru had asked Ino to marry him. "I mean, sure! I'm romantic and last night was a bit intense. I admit that I lost my head a little with the girls. But I didn't drink _that_ much, you stupid bastard!"

He glanced away and cursed his stupidity. He figured that with all the alcohol she had had, she'd have forgotten Ino's story. He felt foolish and pissed with himself. He had spent all yesterday thinking, and yet he didn't have the sense to think this through.

"I'm not a gullible little genin who's easily fooled! And I'm not _Naruto_, for Kami's sake! I don't know if I'll ever be able to marry you, now that I've seen how truly idiotic you really are! Try coming up with your own proposal, instead of stealing someone else's! 'Cause this," She gestured wildly around at their surroundings "_**Really**_ made me feel special. Oh wait, no it didn't. It made _Ino_ feel special: _The first time!"_

"Saku-."

She swung her shoes, which were still in her hand, at his head as he tried to approach her and he only narrowly dodged them. She opted instead for smacking his chest with them. Then, she spun on her heel and jumped into the nearest tree and bolted, leaving him standing there, scorned within an inch of his life.

"Prodigy, my _ass_!" He heard her shout as she left.

Sasuke covered his eyes with his hand and swore under his breath.

He was terrible at this.

* * *

**A/N: I sincerely hope you all liked this. Please review!**

**Back when I was thirteen, I used to be a huge Inuyasha fan. Huge. I couldn't get enough of it. And everytime I think of a pretty clearing, I can never imagine anything else other than the tree where Inuyasha was shot with the arrow. Even though I haven't watched Inuyasha for four years. I STILL think of Four Seasons by Namie Amuro (Back when all I'd listen to was J-pop) and the bright green colours that they used in Inuyasha. **

**Hahaha, my pointless fact of the day. That's where I pulled my inspiration from. So if you feel like seeing what I was thinking of when I wrote this, in case you can't imagine what I described, I'll post a link on my profile to a youtube video XD Don't click it if you're not a fan of Japanese music or Inukag, cause it's all I could find. Oh the nostalgia. **

**See you all next time! **

**(Nervous and Nostalgic) Twigsy**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: UGH. I hate this chapter, but hopefully you don't. Things get a bit heated, just so you know. At least you can't all be mad at me for not updating! I realized that I've lost so many of my readers by never updating, so I'm hoping to have this story finished in a few months. Please don't hate me for my terrible writing skills. I don't even know how this came to be, but I've got nothing better to offer. Swearing is very common in this chapter, please be aware. Please review! **

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my lame plot. 

_PROPOSE TO ME_

(Because you still drive me crazy in more ways than one.)

* * *

Sasuke jammed his hands into his pockets and stared blankly at the spot where Sakura had just disappeared. He stood there for several minutes hating her. Hating her for being so damn picky. And hating her for being so sensitive. He cursed her good memory and the fact that she was even making him do this in the first place.

How had he managed to pick the most high maintenance woman in all of Konoha to be with? Even Yamanaka had said yes to the laziest ninja in Konoha.

He was frustrated that she just refused to understand his side of this whole dilemma, and was only concerned with getting some sort of fairytale happy ending.

Sasuke didn't do fairytale. He was Sasuke. He did his own damn thing and frankly, he was getting sick and tired of this superior and commanding attitude Sakura was developing. After fuming silently for a few minutes, Sasuke shot into the trees and left the clearing behind. The air seemed to grow colder around his arms and he stopped for a moment to look to the west. His eyes narrowed as he saw the blue sky marred by a black horizon of clouds quite far in the distance and knew that in an hour or two, Konoha would be drenched in the downpour.

Sasuke leapt into the trees once more, flying through the leaves, coming ever closer to the main road where he had first met Sakura. Rather than taking their previous detour, he used the branches of the forest to propel him towards the Uchiha complex. He shot out of the leafy expanse of forest in a matter of seconds and stopped when he reached the road.

He stopped his previous sprint and decided to take his time. Sakura was angry anyways. Perhaps this would give her the chance to cool her emotions down before he had to face her. Walking down the street, he could see the familiar Uchiha family symbol against the stone and braced himself.

The house was silent when he entered, except for the sound of heavy breathing that only a shinobi would notice from his distance. He stalked down the hallway and into the open doorway of their bedroom. He could sense her dark aura before he saw her, and when he did look, Sasuke found his girlfriend slumped in a chair, fuming.

She snarled when he came in and he just stared at her, wearing no expression upon his features.

Sakura was fed up with seeing this man's face. She was beyond angry. The whole situation had the already temperamental woman bursting at the hinges to scream at the idiot. Sakura was not only angry, but shocked because it was so unlike her boyfriend to do something so –so stupid! When had the village's once famous golden-boy-Uchiha replaced Naruto as the village idiot?

Sakura rolled her eyes when he didn't take a hint and leave. In all honesty, she shouldn't have been surprised, since he wasn't catching onto much these days. She stood up and crossed her arms across her chest, with her one eyebrow raised in challenge. The girl's jaw was beginning to get sore from all the times she had been angry this week, but nevertheless, it was still clenched in frustration. Sasuke just stayed perfectly still, his face never betraying any form of emotion he might have been feeling.

Sakura tapped her fingers against the skin of her arms impatiently before Sasuke shook his head ruefully and brushed past her to get to the closet. He grabbed his gear and his katana which he had left at home, considering it wasn't terribly romantic to propose with a large weapon strapped to his side, and then turned to leave. He was sick of seeing her anyways, sick of being controlled. The circumstances were grating on his last nerve. Sakura smiled sarcastically, her head tipped up in pride, watching him go. The Uchiha stalked darkly down the hallway as Sakura walked to the edge of the room and slammed the door behind him. Sasuke turned in the direction of the training grounds, considering he wasn't welcome in his own home. The irony of the situation was almost too unbearable. The last Uchiha wasn't welcome in the Uchiha complex, while the woman who _refused_ to become an Uchiha was sitting pretty in their room.

Sasuke passed a group of fangirls in the road, who called compliments and vows of devotion to his back as he strode right past them. Eventually growing tired of putting up with the shouts, he jumped onto the nearest rooftop and disappeared from their view as he sped towards the training fields.

As he finally stopped and stood on the soft grass, he could sense the storm nearing and figured it would be the perfect time to fight out his frustration. In the mean time, however, he sat at the base of a large tree and closed his eyes to try and gain control of his emotions and regain his composure. He could tell that it was nearing mid afternoon, so he shut his eyes and began to wait for the storm.

* * *

Sakura needed to kick something's ass. She paced around their room like a lunatic, not being able to sit still for even a minute. This, this was really the last straw. Her hands clenched into tight fists at her side and her nails began to dig painfully into her palms. The wind outside suddenly made itself apparent and she could hear the gust of a summer storm beginning to pick up. Sakura grabbed a book and plopped herself down in the same chair that she had been sitting in a moment before. She felt the need to calm down, as opposed to continuing her incessant pacing.

Line after line on the page blurred past her sight, but she wasn't absorbing anything. She was just looking at the words instead of reading them. Eventually she ended up chucking the book against the wall opposite her in annoyance. Nothing in this room would be able to clear her thoughts. She ran to the closet, just as Sasuke had, pulled on her usual gear. With her holster strapped to her thigh and her gloves on, Sakura followed the ghost of her boyfriend's steps and feverishly left the house. If she needed to vent, there was only one way to do it.

She bolted out into the foreboding air. The wall of clouds was approaching, and the black mass was casting shadows across the ground. The weather had morphed from the perfect and bright morning, into a dark and foreboding afternoon. Sakura jumped onto the nearest rooftop and sprinted to where Tsunade-sama had brought her to train her and improve her skills. Sakura landed with a quiet thud and immediately withdrew several kunai and aimed them towards a tree in the distance. She paused when she heard the boom of the thunder reverberate in her ears. The storm was here.

Sakura growled and glared at the sky, feeling challenged by the shaking sounds that it was creating. Her fists tightened and she waited for the thunders echo to die down before she slammed her fist into the ground as hard as she could, countering the sky's cries with her own sickening boom. And so it continued. The thunder would echo above her head, before Sakura would send her own sound waves crashing back upwards. The battle between the two reckless forces continued until Sakura felt the rain hit her full force. The dam had broken and a heavy sheet of relentless water showered over her. She smiled, feeling the tension of training beginning to build.

The frustrated kunoichi bolted towards the nearest tree, sprinted up the trunk and propelled herself off the wood at the top. She felt herself fly through the air upside down, one leg outstretched, the other tucked beneath her. Time slowed and she swore she could feel every single drop of rain hit her individually before she whipped her leg backwards and completed her arc, crashing her into the earth and splitting it from the force of her momentum.

Sakura cracked her knuckles, standing in the crater she had just created and smirked, ready for more. It was time to rid herself of these feelings.

* * *

Sasuke ran full force towards the trunk of a tree, blue electricity surging through his clenched hand. He slammed his fist straight into the bark, the force of his Chakra exploding from the opposite side of the tree, a flurry of sparks and splinters clouded the air around him. The once green leaves of the plant were now singed from the sheer power of the electric surge of Sasuke's chidori. The sound of a thousand birds was deafening throughout the clearing as Sasuke ripped himself away from the tree and surrounded whatever remained with a barrage of orange flame. The mass of flames engulfed not only the tree, but several. The fire began to spread further before Sasuke glanced upwards and then back to the flaming forest as the water from the storm drenched the burning trees, sending smoke and steam coiling up into the air with a hiss.

Sasuke gazed stoically at the sight before he dragged his katana out of its sheath slowly. He whipped it towards the ground as his blood red eyes narrowed. It was nearing four in the afternoon, but Sasuke was only beginning.

* * *

Sakura panted as she wandered towards the Uchiha complex. Her skin was on fire from the frigid water still pouring upon her. She had trained for over six hours, stopping every once in a while to think and try to calm down. She knew she should be tired, in fact she knew she probably was. But her mind was reeling from everything that Sasuke had done.

'_**Or hasn't done...'**_ Her inner muttered furiously.

The medic was past the brink of exhaustion, and was running on pure stubbornness. She didn't even feel the fatigue. The rain was keeping her wide awake.

She had felt so alive during the hours she spent alone. Her arms were scratched and bleeding in some places, and her knuckles were caked in blood. They were throbbing and she knew she had overdone it.

But she was just so infuriated with the stupid bugger! Why didn't he have the capacity to propose to her? Why didn't he want to marry her, damn it! She stormed past the lonely and familiar stone bench where she had spent so much of her time pining for Sasuke, which only served to fuel the fire that had begun to rage within her.

Why had he left her there missing him? Why did it take so much effort for him to show he cared about her? How much love would make him whole? She had wasted so many tears on the man, crying every time he entered her mind. But now the only feelings he evoked were anger and irritation.

The panels of the screen door through which she entered her home rattled as she crashed into the room and slammed it hard behind her. Thunder clashed as she stormed to the kitchen, and gripped the counter, nostrils flared as she breathed hard. She ignored the rain running down her red arms and just stood there until she felt a dark chakra present itself. She turned and stood still in the kitchen with her arms still gripping the counter behind her. The screen opened and the black sky was revealed as a flash of lightning blinded her eyes momentarily. The whiteness died down and she took in the sight of Sasuke standing, silhouetted in the doorway. He crashed the screen behind him and walked into house, his eyes never breaking contact with hers. The link between the couple surged with electricity and frustration. The issue at hand went far beyond Sasuke's inability to propose and touched a nerve in their relationship. One was wishing the other would commit and make her feel as though she was needed in his life. The other was feeling smothered and controlled and needed the girl to trust him.

Sakura snarled at him, while she received a glare in response.

"Don't look at me like that, Sasuke." She growled as the ninja ignored her and began to stalk to their shared room. "Where have you been?" She demanded. He was wet and his arms reflected the red chill that her's did. He ignored the question and continued down the hallway at a calm pace, acting as though she didn't exist.

"You're such a coward, Sasuke." Sakura growled before she grabbed their kettle and proceeded to fill it with water. "A spoiled child."

"Sakura." He said sharply, she turned and discovered that he had heard her and had returned to the living room.

"Bite me, Uchiha." She snarled, and Sasuke smirked sarcastically.

"I'm the child, Sakura?" he retorted.

"Yes!" She cried loudly. She stormed up to him and jabbed her fingers roughly into his chest. "_You're_ the selfish, spoiled, moronic brat! Because you have absolutely no feelings for anyone other than yourself! You just cross your arms at the whole world and expect everyone to cave to whatever you want! You're not even man enough to ask a woman to marry you, for Kami's sake!" She shouted, unable to stop the words from escaping her mouth.

"Forgive me," He growled low in his throat. "For not acting like a lovesick fool. I won't change myself so that you can brag to Yamanaka about a ring on your finger."

Sakura sputtered in indignation. "Y-You think that's why I'm doing this? So I can tell the story to all my friends, like some superficial-"

"Frankly," He cut her off, becoming more enraged by the woman in front of him. "I don't pretend to understand you at all."

"Right back at you, you heartless pig!" Sakura yelled, stepping even closer to the Uchiha. "You're not even worth the time." She spat. She scowled and looked at the side of his cheek, noticing the irritated skin on the side of his face. He looked as though he had burned the side of his face, possibly from standing too close to a fire.

She shot her hand out and grabbed his chin and jerked his head roughly to the side inspecting the wound. Normally she was incredibly gentle when she healed his wounds, but the medic didn't bother this time. She began to raise her other hand to heal the inflammation, but Sasuke's hand grabbed her's mid air and his grip on her wrist prevented her from touching him. He tossed her hand back to her side and began to stride back towards the door blocking them from the raging storm outside.

"Sasuke, get back here! I'm trying to help you, jerk." She said as she stalked behind him and made to reach for his shoulder before he could waltz back into the storm, going Kami knows where.

"I don't need it, Sakura." He protested in warning.

"Oh, like hell you don't." She rolled her fiery green eyes, and when she raised her hands this time, he didn't pull away. The chakra in her fingertips glowed green, casting a strange light around the darkened room. She felt the painful burns on his face begin to fade and she frowned.

"What did you think you were doing, you stupid man?" She scolded. "You're freezing and soaked. What were you thinking, pushing yourself too hard in the middle of a thunderstorm? Are you trying to make yourself sick?" Sakura scowled as she checked the rest of his arms and face for anymore marks.

"Hn." He looked away and strode to the wall, leaning against it. He tried to focus to drowning her out, but Sakura was never one to be ignored.

"Argh!" She roared before striding to the bedroom and fetching a clean towel. She threw it over his head when she returned and began to scrub at his hair, drying it as best she could so he wouldn't make himself sick. "You're the most infuriating man I've ever met."

"Hn." He refused to answer her and fought the urge to push her away from him and leave for the night.

"What motivated you to steal another man's proposal? Am I really not good enough for your stupid clan, to deserve a decent one of my own?" She demanded, shaking the towel over his head.

"You're ignoring the fact that I've asked you to join my clan twice now, you annoying woman."

"Oh yeah, when you commanded me like some sort of servant and when you stole the next bright idea from someone else. Remind me again why I never said yes?" Sakura snapped sarcastically.

"Don't blame me for your stubbornness, Sakura."

"Don't blame you?" She screeched as she rubbed the towel harder against his scalp. "How is this not your fault? I'm sick of your arrogance and the fact that you're so fucking above everyone, Sasuke! You lost everyone who was ever important in your life when you were so young, but when someone tries to get closer to you _now_ you just push them away! _Stop _pushing me away! -" Sasuke grabbed the towel and yanked it off his head, throwing it roughly to the floor, his eyes blazing red. He ran his hand roughly through his mused hair and glared right at her.

"You're the one making demands now, Sakura. I'm not Prince fucking Charming. I never let you believe that, so no. It's not my fault that you've deluded yourself into believing I was." He snapped in a dark tone, cutting her off.

"You're damn right you're no Prince Charming. You're such an asshole!"

"Then why are you here?"

"Now, that's the first intelligent thing to come out of your mouth in days. The perfect question. I've been wondering the same thing for two days now!" Sakura bellowed.

Sasuke scowled and Sakura leaned closer to his handsome features, their noses brushing. She tried to ignore the heat pooling in her stomach as she pressed closer to him. She had to hand it to him. He was hands down the sexiest shinobi in Konoha.

"You know what? I don't know why I even bother." She spat harshly and quietly. She could smell his purely Sasuke smell now, due to their close proximity and she hadn't missed the way his smirk and his damp hair made him look roguishly handsome. They were both breathing hard and were glaring into each other's eyes, her kick drum heart hammering in her chest.

"You're annoying." He spat right back. Sakura snarled before the heated look in his eyes that matched her own overcame her.

"You'll just have to deal with that."

'_Oh fuck it.' _She thought to herself as she slammed her lips to his in a heated kiss. The tension that they felt earlier clashed in a frenzy and Sakura poured all her frustration into their kiss. Her fingers clenched tightly around the front of his shirt as she pulled him as close to her as possible and pressed her body fully against his. She knew that by kissing him, she was brushing their fight aside.

But she found that at this moment, she really didn't give a damn.

Because right now, the only thing that mattered was him. The way his mouth slanted over hers. The way his scent and his aura captivated her. The way his groan hit her ears as soon as she had crashed into him. No matter how crazy he drove her and no matter how angry she was, she couldn't deny that Sasuke Uchiha was completely irresistible. Damn him.

She sighed against his mouth as she felt him roughly wrap his arms around her waist and return her actions with as much passion as she felt. Her hands slid from the front of his shirt and into his damp and tousled hair, tightening into his midnight strands. She leaned forwards and pushed him against the wall he had previously been brooding against. They thudded against the drywall and Sakura was lost completely to him.

Sasuke's grip tightened on her hips and he spun her around so that he had her pressed tightly to the wall. His hands strayed from her hips and planted themselves on either side of her face as they both pulled away for breath. They were gasping from the lack of air and Sasuke rested his forehead against hers as he stared intensely into her eyes. He grabbed the side of her face and brought her in for another bruising kiss, the heat between them growing as they pressed together.

It wasn't about love. This contact was about anger, tension. They weren't expressing any feelings other than frustration. Their feelings had surged until it had become unbearable to stay away.

Sasuke pulled one hand through her pink tresses before he removed his lips from hers and unsmilingly grabbed a strand of her drenched hair between his fingers as his another hand lightly traced his other hand across a long scrape across her upper cheek.

"Pushing yourself too hard in the middle of a thunderstorm?" He repeated her words back to her, mocking her previous lecture. Sakura smiled, clearly guilty of the hypocrisy and brought his head back down, joining them again.

She mumbled against their heated lips.

"I guess you're not the only rebel here, Uchiha."

"Only one to get shit for it though." He muttered right back as they continued to assault each other's mouths.

Sakura laughed against his lips. "Yeah, pretty much." Her tongue slipped out of her mouth and ran along his lips, but he refused to open himself to her. He pushed her back farther into the wall and crushed his body against hers tightly, causing her to gasp from the friction. Sasuke took advantage of the situation and his tongue battled against hers for dominance. Eventually, Sakura felt her knees go weak and Sasuke smirked against her, winning their silent fight. Sakura curled her arms around his waist and expertly unhooked his katana's sheath, tossing it to the side with a loud clatter.

Sasuke grabbed Sakura legs and lifted them so that they were coiled around his hips and he lifted her off the ground. Sakura pulled away and stared down at him from her higher position.

"This doesn't mean you're off the hook, Sasuke. Don't think that this means you're forgiven." Sasuke stared at her stoically before they connected once more. He walked her from their position against the wall and pushed her light body onto the couch without breaking the contact between their lips, before he covered her body with his own. Lightning continued to flash around them as their own preoccupation began to grow in intensity.

"At this point," His dark voice uttered under his breath, causing Sakura to shiver involuntarily, "I'm not really asking for it." They continued to smash their lips together, never seeming to get enough of the other one. Sakura was beginning to go crazy, being this attached to him. It all became too much and Sakura's hand tightening in his ebony hair, pulling his lips away from her neck, where they had wandered.

"S-Sasuke, as a medic, I really can't allow this to continue-"

"Hn." He muttered and tried to bury his face back into her smooth neck. Sakura tightened her hold and smiled devilishly, knowing that she was pushing his buttons.

"I mean it. We've..." she paused to nip at his bottom lip playfully. "We've been out in the rain and as a professional, I must say that we should really get out of these wets clothes as quickly as possible. To prevent...illness." She trailed off and Sasuke chuckled darkly and return to nipping at her neck. He smirked against her burned skin when he heard her gasp.

His hand travelled beneath her soaking wet training shirt and began to pull it over her head. He whispered against her lips hotly.

"I absolutely agree."

* * *

Sakura groaned as her eyes fluttered open. The sun filtered through the white screens on the doors and a bird chirped happily outside. The air outdoors was clear and crisp, signalling the end of the summer storm. The morning contrasted the previous night completely, and no cloud was present in the sky.

She took in her surroundings, shifting slightly. She moaned quietly, feeling sore in every part of her body. She felt an ache from every cut that she had left unhealed the night before, her muscles throbbed from her intense training, her joints were stiff from sleeping in the living room, her lips were red and swollen and Sakura felt a familiar pain between her legs, cursing Sasuke's enthusiasm. She buried her face into the surface below, realizing that it was the toned chest of her boyfriend.

After they all they had done the night before, they had passed out where they were, sleeping on the small couch together. Sakura felt Sasuke tighten his loose hold around her hips and his face was buried in her pink hair. He breathed slowly against her neck and Sakura tried not to swoon. She really did love this idiot.

She sighed and settled back down onto his warm body and began to return to dozing. With all the pain she felt, she was perfectly fine with staying put where she was.

A little while later, Sasuke stirred beneath her causing her to awaken again. She smiled slightly at his dishevelled, drowsy look, before she felt his fingers tracing patterns on her back. She laughed at the ticklish feeling and rested her head on her folded hands, lying on his chest.

"You're manipulative." She muttered and she could tell that her boyfriend was smirking above her. They stayed there in silence, not knowing what to say.

After such an intense night, the morning brought a strange wave of calm over the two. Sakura finally moaned and pushed herself off of Sasuke. She grabbed one of the blankets covering them and wrapped it around herself as she tried to stand up. However, she ended up tumbling off and onto the ground beside the sofa.

"Mmph..." She grumbled into the mess of blankets as Sasuke smirked above her.

"Let's try this again." She mumbled as she finally got into a standing position. Meandering into the kitchen, she finally pressed the On button on the kettle she'd forgotten about in the heat of the moment. She sat down at the kitchen table and waited for the water to heat, mulling things over in her mind.

'_**Why**__ is it so hard to stay mad at him?'_ She thought to herself. Sakura glanced up as Sasuke lifted himself off the couch, and grabbed some clothes from the ground. He gathered up their scattered items from around the floor, and finally picked up his discarded katana.

Sakura smiled at him from the kitchen, admiring the view. Sasuke nodded at her from his vantage point, glancing at the sight. She was just calmly sitting at the table, wrapped in nothing but a sheet, smiling for him and only him.

He smirked and made his way to the bedroom. Sakura was jolted out of her thoughts as the kettle's contents began to bubble loudly. She turned it off and grabbed a cup from the cupboard, making her and Sasuke a cup of warm tea before she padded into the bedroom to get dressed. She threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top and twisted her hair into a messy bun. She felt sticky and grimy, wanting nothing more than a soothing shower. However, her stomach growled, catching her attention.

From his spot in the closet, where he pulled on a navy shirt and black pants, Sasuke could hear Sakura shuffling around in the kitchen, and then the sizzle of something cooking. He joined her and placed a chaste kiss at the nape of her neck before he offered to help.

"Oh no, it's alright, it's nothing special. It's almost ready anyways." She smiled and took the opportunity to kiss his lips quickly. "Thanks for the offer though."

Sasuke sat down and took a sip of tea, rotating his stiff shoulders. It was only a moment before Sakura turned and placed his breakfast in front of him with a smile before she turned back to prepare her own.

"I've got some groceries to grab today Sasuke, and I need to make a quick stop at the hospital to pick up some documents that I forgot on Friday. Just so you know." She spoke as she flipped her food onto a plate and took the seat beside him.

"Aa."

They sat in silence, Sakura smiling to herself and Sasuke absorbed in his thoughts. While he had felt furious yesterday, wanting nothing to do with the pink haired girl then, he suddenly felt unbearably lucky to be with her now, watching her twirl a strand of hair that she'd left loose from her bun around her finger. His eyes searched her face, but found nothing but pleasant contentment. The light streamed in from the kitchen window, illuminating her flawless face despite the scrape that he had discovered yesterday. He loved that she felt no need to disturb the moment with forced words of affection or conversation. She chose instead to enjoy the sound of silence surrounding them, with a smile.

He felt guilt begin to gnaw at him once more as she reaffirmed the fact that he was indeed very lucky by saying nothing at all.

* * *

Sakura wandered up the street in Konoha, stopping now and then to purchase something from a kiosk. Gradually she accumulated several bags filled with various fruits and vegetables for her and Sasuke and decided to stop in and check on Ino.

"Billboard Brow!" Ino called as Sakura stopped in at her flower shop to see if she was there.

"Ino-pig-chan!" Sakura replied and deposited her bags on one of the counters.

"What are you doing here?" Ino inquired. Sakura leaned against the counter and Ino moved around to the front and hopped up to sit beside her.

"Errands. I thought I'd stop in and say hello to my favourite little boar." Sakura smiled

"Yeah, yeah forehead. As sassy as you are, I do appreciate the visit. It's been dead all morning. I can't wait to head out for my mission tomorrow morning" Sakura often wondered why Ino continued to work in the Yamanaka's flower store despite all her training as a shinobi. She was more than capable of supporting herself without the part-time work. But Sakura had the feeling that Ino chose to continue working there because it was relaxing and kept her connected to her family. It was nice to keep some sort of link to your childhood, a bit of innocence. Not to mention the fact that all the handsome men of Konoha would have to buy their girlfriend's flowers _somewhere._

"It looks as though everyone in Konoha is staying in today. It wasn't too hectic this morning around the streets either."

The two nodded and sat there in silence. It was a lazy day and the two didn't have much to share.

"So, um." Sakura started. "I've sort of forgiven Sasuke for the time being." Sakura mumbled as she stared out the windows at the road outside.

"You what?" Ino yelled. "Scott free, just like that?" She smacked Sakura's arm from her position on the counter, receiving a satisfying yelp in response. Her arm was so stiff and the unexpected attack made it throb.

"No hitting, pig! He's just so-" Sakura was cut off by Ino's chastising glare.

"You should have more of a backbone! He was a jerk! Unless he gave you the proposal of the century, I don't want to hear it." Ino huffed.

"No, he didn't give me an amazing proposal. He kind of... gave me yours."

"He what?" Ino screeched. "He stole my proposal? I don't believe that guy! What could make you forgive him so easily Sakura?" Ino asked, slightly exasperated.

"Well, I love him, for starters." Sakura mumbled. "But he's just so-"

"Did he apologize?"

"No, but-"

"_No_? I'll kill him!" Ino huffed. "Or you!"

"It wasn't my fault!"

"How was your forgiving him not your fault!" Ino accused.

"It was_ raining_!" Sakura caved under her close friend's pressure, trying desperately to plead her case. "And he was all wet and smouldering and- and!"

"Wet and smouldering...?" Ino said blankly. "You forgave him for sex." She deadpanned.

"Um...Yeah, a little bit."

"You're unbelievable."

"Oh well that's easy to say, but I mean, have you _seen_ him?" Sakura could practically see Ino imagining the situation and the change in her expression.

Finally Ino sighed. "You're right. He's a crafty bastard."

"I know." Sakura agreed. The two sat there silently once more, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally Sakura sighed and pushed herself off from her comfortable position against the counter.

"I'd better go. I have to stop by the hospital and grab some of my paperwork and then head back home." She sighed and began to head towards the door. "I'll see you soon! Or actually, will I?" Sakura knew Ino was heading out for a mission, and Sakura didn't know when she'd be back.

"I should be home in a few days, so you will."

Sakura smiled and then turned with a final wave before continuing through the store to head out the door.

"Try not to knock down any of my flowers with your massive forehead, okay?" Ino called out behind her and giggled successfully when Sakura huffed and none to subtly flipped her off. Sakura passed by the window and a woman out on the street gave her a disapproving look at her vulgar actions. Ino cackled as she saw the pink haired medic's shoulders slump slightly at the judgment.

"Goody goody." Ino muttered.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky now and Sakura could feel the sun shining on her face. She imagined all of her troubles melting off her in the heat and she felt so happy and awake at the moment. She smiled as she walked back home, hands full of groceries, and her documents safely rolled and tucked into a pouch hanging on her hip.

Suddenly she sensed someone falling into to step beside her and looked up to examine the strange man. She gave him a questioning look and he merely smiled down at her.

"Hello..." She mumbled in confusion.

It was obvious to her that the stranger wasn't from their village; she didn't recognize him at all. He was handsome to be sure, with brown hair falling around his face and bright green eyes. But in all honesty, Sakura wasn't impressed and smiled politely. Something about the way he smirked and held himself made her feel uneasy. He looked like a slimy creep.

After several minutes she was starting to get fed up with him and was just going to run up the nearest building wall and make her way home on the rooftops.

"Hey there." He said finally and Sakura tried not to snort at his statement. He sure knew how to make a situation awkward, not saying hello until after he'd walked with her for a good five minutes. He looked down at her and chuckled slightly.

"You sure you can handle all those bags on your own?" He said and Sakura's hands clenched around the bags she was gripping.

"Just fine, thanks." She muttered in irritation.

"You're sure? Cause, you're pretty petite and those bags look pretty heavy for you to be dealing with all by your fragile little self."

Sakura rolled her eyes but some mischievous part of her personality made her want to play along. "Okay you caught me. These are _so _heavy, but I don't have any help. I'll manage just fine all alone I guess, please don't worry about it..." She smiled innocently at the man and he stopped her in his tracks.

"I'll take them off your hands." He said, flashing her a charming smile.

"O-Oh no! I couldn't let you do that! Please!" She said a mock distressed tone.

"It's all right. I really don't...mind." He grinned and moved in close so he was leaning extremely close to her face, their lips almost pressing together. "I'd never mind helping out a pretty little thing like you."

Sakura looked away, pretending to hide her blush. In reality she was just focused on keeping her composure. She was about to burst out laughing from this guys forwardness, as though she'd ever kiss him for carrying her not-so-heavy fruits.

"I-I have nothing to pay you with."

"Well, if you ask me nicely, maybe I'll let you pay me with just a date. The name's Yuudai."

Sakura giggled into her hand, trying to look modest. "My name's Sakura, but I-I could never-."

Yuudai laughed and smiled at her with a cheeky grin. "The name suits you, beautiful. Cherry blossoms pale in comparison to someone like you, _Sakura_." She wanted to roll her eyes, but stopped herself. They were nearing the corner to turn into the Uchiha complex so she figured it was time to get rid of the forward man.

"W-well, I'd really better be going now. Thank you so much for your help!" Sakura pulled her bags out of his hands and began to turn away before he grabbed her wrist and pulled it back to him roughly.

"I don't think so. I believe you promised me a date."

"Did she?" A dark voice uttered behind the man and Sakura rolled her eyes. This was not good. She could practically feel Sasuke's testosterone flaring at the man holding her wrist. The cocky man turned and smirked at her dark haired rescuer.

"She did, in fact. I helped this helpless little thing carry her bags. The least she could do is repay me kindly." Yuudai directed this last part at Sakura, looking into her eyes, his overly friendly smile now replaced by a more menacing grin. "Let's go, sweetheart." He shoved Sakura forward, never letting go of her wrist before Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Not likely."

Yuudai snarled and turned back to the young Uchiha.

"Listen, buddy. I don't really know or care who you are. I got here first, so just back off, butt out of my business, and go back to whatever it was you were doing. "

At this, Sasuke's eyes flicked knowingly to hers and she spotted the ghost of a smirk forming on his lips.

'_Pervert.'_ She thought inwardly. _'Of course he'd have his mind in the gutter at a time like this...'_

Yuudai shoved her once more, before Sasuke had his arm in a vice grip and had twisted it around away from his body. The green eyed man snarled in pain and glared at the Uchiha.

"Stay away from her." Sasuke growled in warning.

Yuudai smirked in response. "Well what if she doesn't want me to stay away from her. Like I said, I got here first."

"Hn." Sasuke twisted the man's arm even further and Yuudai howled in pain. "She's engaged to me." The black haired man smirked in triumph before he remembered Sakura's obsession with being asked. So he looked behind him and said "Isn't that right, Sakura?"

That counted as asking to him.

Before Sakura could retort, Yuudai had yanked his arm and Sasuke released his hold on the man in disgust.

"I can't believe _this_ is your boyfriend." He said to her before turning his gaze to Sasuke once more. "You wanna fight for the little bitch? Whoring herself out to any stranger who smiles at her-"

Sakura had had enough. She brushed past Sasuke and came face to face with the man who was accusing her of being a whore. Their faces grew closer and closer together and when they were almost touching, Yuudai smiled triumphantly and tried to make his move on her. Except Sakura raised her hand and gave him a small flick in the center of his chest.

Yuudai flinched backwards in pain, wondering what was going on. His hand flew to his chest and he rubbed the painful and throbbing mark on his skin.

"Ow! What the f-" But before he could finish Sakura had done it again.

_**Flick Flick Flick! **_

Soon the man was breathing hard through his grit teeth, trying not to yell with the sharp pains Sakura was inflicting all over his torso, confused as to how her flicks were stinging so much. "Argh!-" Sakura smacked him upside the head and Yuudai tumbled to the ground in a heap from the force. Her eyes narrowed, Sakura grasped the front of his shirt with one hand and lifted him clear of the ground with ease. She smiled and waved at his terrified face with her free hand.

"Hey there! Bitchy whore's turn to speak." The man gulped and sweat began to shine on his forehead. He snarled at her and tried to fight his way out of her grip.

"Yeah...That's not going to work, big guy." Sakura said. "You're going to listen to me for a second and then you're free to go. Listen closely, I didn't let you help me because I was attracted to you and wanted in your pants. I allowed you to help me because I found your sexist assumptions that I was weak amusing. But you've crossed a line." Sakura smirked at his face. He looked angry on the exterior, but a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his cheek and Sakura knew he was shaking.

"I would really love it if, for your sake, you left Konoha as soon as possible you jerk. I'm not really in the mood to deal with two dumbasses today," Sakura said with a pointed look in Sasuke's direction. "And you're just not quite as sexy a dumbass as the one I've already got." She pulled him close and glared into his eyes. "So you're the weakest link."

"And for the record, I'd watch your step. This village has several powerful kunoichi in its service. You never know when you're going to run into one of them." He swallowed thickly, his eyes not blinking.

"Like me." Sakura whispered for effect, a sarcastic smile adorning her face.

"So a word to the stupid, don't underestimate the woman of this village again, because the majority of us could pummel you into the ground. If I hear that you've been messing around with my friends or any other girls, I can take that tree," She said turning him around in her hand so he could see the one she was pointing at. "I can rip it out of the ground and I can squish you like a bug."

She dropped him and he fell to the ground and scrambled away from her as quickly as possible.

"Have a nice day, now!" She called after his crawling form.

"Hn." Sasuke grumbled from beside her. She turned to him and gave him an exasperated look.

"You can't be serious." She said.

"You said yes to him..." Sasuke muttered in anger.

"Oh come on! I did not! You know that's not true." Sakura threw her hands up in the air and turned on her heel towards the Uchiha district. She grabbed all of her forgotten groceries from the ground and stomped away. Soon however, a hand on her shoulder slowed her down and the bags in her hand were pulled away from her gently. Sasuke took them all and looked straight ahead, falling into step with his girlfriend.

"He touched you though." Sasuke muttered.

"Yeah and I don't think it'll ever happen again. You can relax Captain Jealousy." Sakura said slyly.

"I don't envy him."

"You're just fuming because he bruised your tomatoes when he dropped them on the ground...? Is that it?" Sakura laughed at his ridiculousness.

"Exactly."

"Right. You're such an animal, you know that right? And _that_, that back there does _not _qualify as a decent proposal! I'm not going to marry you just because you get angry every time some guy looks at me."

"I would've fought him for you." Sasuke mumbled to her as she reached for the bags. Sakura stuttered and slowed down, staring at him for a moment. Still, Sakura stubbornly yanked her bags from his hands and marched away from him, trying hard to stop the smile creeping up her face.

"W-well don't expect any more nights like yesterday for a long time! Enjoy the couch, Sasuke!" She called over her shoulder towards her stoic protector.

Sasuke shoved his hand in his pockets and sulked. He couldn't help the smirk that passed over his features though. He knew that Sakura was bluffing in her last statement. Sakura could be as stubborn as she wanted to be, but the fact remained, she still thought he was sexy. She had said so herself. Sasuke wouldn't be surprised if a repeat of last night happened within a few days at most.

So he silently buried his hands in his pockets and followed his temperamental girlfriend inside with pleasant memories of the last time he'd slept on the couch.

"Oh," Sasuke murmured under his breath, his smirk turning to an almost boyish smile. "I will."

* * *

**A/N: Well that's it ^^**

**Hope you liked it :D**

**I'd love you all forever if you'd drop me some reviews. I'm writing this story more for the people reading it than myself. It would be absolutely wonderful to hear back from all of you! I realize that it was really just a filler and that there was no plot involved. But I figured that since the past few chapters have been about Sasuke getting in trouble, I figured Sasuke needed to win one.**

**I put in a bunch of references in this chappy to my sources of inspirations on a daily basis, especially for writing. SO.**

**1. - "How much love would make him whole?" – Quote from the lyrics of I Belong To You by Muse, one of my favourite bands.**

**2. - "...her kick drum heart hammering in her chest."- This is a reference to the song Kick Drum Heart by the Avett Brothers. It's so happy and it's constantly reminding me of the happier parts of life.**

**3. - "She chose instead to enjoy the sound of silence surrounding them..."- Referencing the song by Simon and Garfunkel, The Sound Of Silence. Sort of a testament to the music of the sixties because it's all I've been listening to for weeks, not just Simon and Garfunkel. I'd die without it.**

**4. - "I can't believe _this_ is your boyfriend." – A quote from one of my all time favourite movies, 500 Days of Summer ;)**

**5. - "I will." – A song by the Beatles that I love. It's just a simple love song**

**Have a good one!**


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